A year ago one night, a man heard something that sounded like a baby bird's chirping coming from underneath his house. He didn't know what it was until the next day when he heard it again.
He and his roommate couldn't believe what they discovered, which took them on quite a journey.
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It was a cold November day in North Carolina. The man just came home with his roommate, pulling up in the driveway when he heard the chirping sound again.
"With daylight on my side, I was determined to get to the bottom of it. My roommate beat me to the crawl space access and let out a loud 'Aww!'. She turned her head and said, 'It's a kitten!'," reddit user RedArremerAce told Love Meow.
"I felt guilty, wishing I had tried harder to investigate the night before. I hurried over to the crawl space and had a look inside with my iPhone's flashlight. There, in the dirt, was a precious little black ball of fluff. Eyes still closed, sniffing the air and crying — quite loudly at this point."
He got his roommate a flashlight and she disappeared under the house. A few minutes later, she came back with the tiniest furball in her hands. "She brought me the little critter and I cradled it in my arms, overwhelmed at how cute it was, wondering what its odds of survival would be, etc. Then we heard more 'chirps' coming from the other side of the crawl space."
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The roommate went back for another look around, and a few minutes later, she emerged with another kitten.
After they made sure that they'd got all the kittens, they took the fur babies inside for warmth. Their resident cats were fascinated by the tiny newcomers. The kittens were no longer cold but were very hungry.
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"By this point I was searching the web to see how others had handled these situations in the past. I found everything from exhaustive 'how-to' guides to forum discussions that led me to believe their mother may be off hunting for food for herself, and that they would have a better chance of survival if we let her handle them on her own," he told Love Meow.
"We discussed it and decided that if there was a mother she must not have been around for a while considering how hungry and filthy they were."
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They went to the store to get some supplies and milk replacer for the kittens.
"Once we got home we warmed up the milk, cut the nipples on the bottles, and each of us fed one of the little angels. They were finally quiet, finally satiated."
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The guy took on the responsibilities and learned to care for the tiny kittens round-the-clock. He kept the babies warm at all times as they were not able to control their body temperature at such a young age.
"They slept for hours, looking so precious and content. You could barely tell where one kitten stopped and the other started, they were cuddling and keeping each other warm."
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"I had recently been laid off from work and had lots of free time on my hands. Those little babies took me from aimless and borderline depressed to busy and fulfilled. Caring for them and watching them grow was and is one of the most satisfying experiences I've had in my life.
"Every few hours we were feeding, burping, and cleaning the little babies. They both started to grow bigger and stronger. Their eyes opened and they started to develop some personality."
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"Soon they would no longer go right to sleep after eating anymore. They loved to play, with toys and with each other," he told Love Meow.
The two siblings were named Inky and Sue!
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Now a year later, the kitties have all grown up!
"I can't believe how big they are! They've both had their shots, they've both been fixed, and they are, without a doubt, the sweetest, most mild mannered animals I've ever seen."
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The two "panther" kitties snuggle with their human dad every single night. Whenever he sits at his desk or works from home, they will share his lap and keep him company.
"They can't seem to get enough of my love and the feeling is mutual."
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The two feline siblings are completely inseparable.
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"People have told me they were very lucky I found them and that there's no telling what would have happened if I hadn't," he told Love Meow.
"I think that's true. I also think I was just as 'lucky' (blessed) to find them."
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"As cheesy as it may sound coming from a 31-year-old man, they came into my life right on time and they have enriched my daily experience beyond measure.
"Cats (and animals in general) will repay every ounce of love you give to them, and then some."
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