It's all hands on deck at Edgar & Ivy's Cat Sanctuary in Corpus Christi, Texas, to care for 22 kittens dumped outside a local veterinary office.

The shelter team is hard at work feeding and caring for the tiny felines who are estimated to be 3 to 4 weeks old. Some are sick and all are too young to be away from their mothers.

The shelter shared a video on TikTok showing the rescued kittens and wrote, "They were mercilessly taken from their mothers while still nursing."

@edgarandivy_catsanctuary 22 abandonded babies #kittens #rescue #cats ♬ Ambient-style emotional piano - MoppySound

The kittens are afraid but are leaning on each other for support. "The babies are learning to live without Mommy," stated the caretakers.

They are all safe and getting warm food and the care they need. The focus now is to "fix their little broken hearts".

The video has gone viral with over one million views. One person commented, "They look so defeated...poor babies. They need their mom :-( ."

Many more worried about the grieving mothers. "At least the babies are safe, what about poor mommas? My heart is so broken for all of them," wrote one viewer.

Another said, "The worst part is mom (or moms) won't be fixed and the problem will repeat over and over."

This is just the beginning of kitten season which is the time of year (April-September) where animal shelters see an influx of kittens and pregnant felines. It puts a strain on the already overcrowded shelters and limited resources.

Each rescued kitten has been named after a type of dance and the names were shared in an update video on the shelter's TikTok page.

@edgarandivy_catsanctuary

Abandoned kittens update

♬ Hope - Djtwo

Some are doing better than others. Sadly, Foxtrot passed away and three more are still in quarantine. The shelter is doing everything they can to give these kittens the second chance they deserve.

The healthy kittens play together in an enclosed pen and will socialize with staff until they are old enough to find loving homes.

Check out how well they are doing in the video below. Visit the shelter's website to see how to adopt one of the kittens or how you can help care for them.

@edgarandivy_catsanctuary Kitten playtime! #cutekittensoftiktok ♬ Cartoon background music(1156772) - MaxRecStudio

The shelter posted a plea to the people who abandoned the kittens to please spay the mothers. "To the people that dropped the 22 kittens off at Everhart Animal Hospital last week... please reach out so that someone can set up appointments to spay and neuter the mothers of these kittens. No questions asked and it can be anonymous." They went on to say, "This will just keep happening. If you don’t let somebody help you."

Animal shelter across the country will need extra support during kitten season. Join us in sending supplies to help care for kittens by donating here.