4 Kittens Found Zip-Tied Together Under a Shopping Cart Were Rushed to Animal Rescue. 2 Died and 2 Are Fighting to Live

The kittens “still had their umbilical cords attached and were covered in fleas when they came in” to the rescue shelter

• Four kittens were found zip-tied together under a shopping cart at a shopping center in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
• Two of the orange tabbies died, while two surviving ones — who have tentatively been named Frodo and Sam— received emergency care at an animal shelter
• Medical staff estimated the kittens were under five days old

Two kittens are fighting for their lives after being discovered zip-tied together in the parking lot of a shopping center.

The kittens were found beneath a shopping cart in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., according to Jessica Gercke, a representative from the Helen Woodward Animal Center, in an email to PEOPLE.

Gercke shared that the two orange tabbies —  who are tentatively named Frodo and Sam — were rushed to the shelter by an employee who worked at the shopping center. They were found along with two other siblings, who did not survive the ordeal.

The kittens “still had their umbilical cords attached and were covered in fleas when they came in,” per Gercke, who also said that the center’s medical staff has concluded that the kittens are less than five days old.

“While one of the two survivors is mostly uninjured, the other has significant damage on their rear left leg from the zip tie,” she added.

And while things looked bleak at first, the Center notes that “hope won out” — both of the surviving kittens took to bottle feeding “almost immediately” 

"That was our biggest concern at first," adoptions director Kendall Schulz said per the email. "We were worried they hadn't eaten in hours and wouldn't eat."

The pair are in foster care while they work toward making a recovery.

“Finding fosters qualified to bottle feed is super important, because these little guys need to be fed every two hours,” Schulz said. “Fortunately, we have an extensive network of qualified fosters who can drop everything and help out.”

The Helen Woodward Animal Center is a no-kill facility established in 1972. It provides educational and therapeutic programs for people, as well as humane care and adoption for homeless animals, per center’s website.

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The center, which does not receive government funding, relies solely on private donations to keep their programs and facility up and running.

If you would like to help support Frodo and Sam as they continue to heal, you can donate here.