Volunteers quickly versed themselves in how to treat hypothermia, and gathered all the towels they could. “Within minutes of our arrival, we had a triage area established for the cats,” Shackelford said. “We started drying them immediately, but were really concerned about the four babies, who were under 1 pound each, and were so cold and wet. They were not moving.”

The volunteers untucked their shirts and put the kittens next to their skin with hot water bottles in hopes of regulating their temperatures, and soon there were signs of life under the clothing. Thanks to the quick action of the animal control officer and the volunteers, the abandoned cats were soon dry and grooming themselves as if nothing had happened.

“All the cats were purring and enjoying attention by the time we had cleaned up and were ready to leave,” Shackelford said.