Someone Threw Two Tiny Kittens Into a Home With Dogs and Left Them Trembling in a Corner

October 27, 2026 Guest Contributor

Olfa Ferchichi

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog!

Someone threw two tiny kittens over a door into a place where dogs lived. They were lucky I arrived in time. But how many more lives am I expected to save alone?

It is heartbreaking to tell this story because it is not an isolated incident. It is what my life has become.

A tiny white and orange kitten with blue eyes is held up by a hand against an ocean horizon and cloudy sky.

Olfa Ferchichi

Someone threw the kittens into the house I rent for my rescued cats and three dogs. They knew there were dogs inside. Although my dogs are gentle with the cats they know, they do not necessarily accept unfamiliar cats.

Two tiny cream-colored kittens huddle together on white paper towels inside a box.

Olfa Ferchichi

When I arrived, I found the dogs surrounding the two kittens. The little ones were huddled in a corner, terrified and helpless, desperately trying to protect themselves. Thankfully, I arrived in time.

They were painfully thin and covered in fleas. They were not even two months old, and it was clear that they had been abandoned without their mother for some time. At an age when they should still have been nursing, they had only just begun learning to eat on their own.

A tabby cat and three small kittens eat together from a white plate on a tiled floor.

Olfa Ferchichi

I brought them inside and immediately offered them food. Thankfully, they ate well. But I faced another problem. I had nowhere to put them. I tried to introduce them to Mariam, a rescued cat caring for two slightly older kittens, but she would not accept them.

I could not leave these babies in danger, so I took them with me.

Three kittens sit inside an orange pet carrier while two adult cats peer curiously at them from outside.

Olfa Ferchichi

For four nights, they slept in my car. They even accompanied me to work because I needed to monitor them and feed them several times a day. They were so young and fragile that I could not leave them unattended for long.

It has now been a week since I rescued them. They are finally safe and being cared for alongside other rescued kittens.

Two tiny cream-colored kittens nestle together inside an open bag surrounded by veterinary documents and flea treatment packaging.

Olfa Ferchichi

I have treated them for parasites and am feeding them good-quality kitten food because they are still weak and underweight. They are beginning to settle down, rest and eat better. Seeing them finally feel safe is a relief, but they are still fragile and have a long way to go.

Once they have completed their quarantine, they will need a veterinary examination, their first vaccinations and any other care they may require.

But the story of these two kittens is also the story of my life as an independent animal rescuer in Tunisia.

For years, I have fed the stray cats and dogs in my neighborhood. What began as a simple, spontaneous act of kindness has turned into a responsibility that has completely changed my life. It has deeply affected my emotional well-being, my finances and my peace of mind.

Because people know that I care, they seem to believe they can leave unwanted animals at my door and walk away. Every week, I face another abandoned kitten, another sick animal, another innocent life left to fend for itself.

A small cream-colored kitten with blue eyes and a crusty nose rests on a brown fleece blanket.

Olfa Ferchichi

People seem to see me as someone who can take in every animal they no longer want. But I am not an angel, and I am not an organization with a team or resources behind me. I am one person trying to cope with a situation that has become almost impossible to bear.

Olfa Ferchichi

I work full-time while caring for around 100 rescued cats and dogs. My days are filled with work, feeding, cleaning, medical emergencies and endless worries about how to provide for them all. I never imagined that feeding the stray animals in my neighborhood would lead to so many abandoned lives being left in my care.

I am doing everything I can, but the reality has become overwhelming. My life has been profoundly changed by a responsibility I never intended to carry alone. Despite my exhaustion and the difficulties I face, I still cannot turn my back on an animal in need.

Two tiny fluffy kittens sit inside a plastic pet carrier with paper towels and a plate of wet food.

Olfa Ferchichi

In Tunisia, animal protection and responsible adoption remain enormous challenges. Abandonment, cruelty and violence are painful realities. Cats I rescued, vaccinated, sterilized and cared for have been poisoned and killed. Dogs from my own street have fallen victim to mass culling.

Every loss hurts. I have watched animals I loved disappear in the most heartbreaking circumstances. I have tried to protect them, give them a chance at life and offer them the care they deserved, only to see some of them become victims of human cruelty.

And still, the abandonments continue.

There are very few adoptions, and the number of animals depending on me keeps growing. Every new rescue brings hope, but also another responsibility, another expense and another worry about how I will manage tomorrow.

I am exhausted. This situation has changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. It has affected my work, my finances, my emotional well-being and my ability to find any peace. Sometimes, I feel that I have lost control of my own life because there is always another animal who needs something I must somehow find a way to provide.

Two tiny cream-colored kittens sit on a decorative blue-and-white tiled surface overlooking a waterfront under a cloudy sky.

Olfa Ferchichi

And yet, when I see two tiny kittens trembling in fear, hungry and abandoned, I cannot simply walk away.

These two little survivors deserved a chance. They deserved to be safe, to eat without fear, to sleep peacefully and to grow up knowing that not every human being will hurt them.

A tiny white fluffy kitten sits tucked against a weathered concrete wall surrounded by dry leaves and dirt.

Olfa Ferchichi

I did not choose to have so many animals abandoned in my care. I chose not to turn my back on them.

These kittens are now safe. They can rest, eat and slowly regain their strength. For now, that is what matters most. I hope that, despite the difficult beginning to their lives, they will grow into healthy, happy cats who will never again know abandonment or fear.

A tiny cream-colored kitten rests its paws on the edge of a brown plush cushion, gazing downward.

Olfa Ferchichi

Their story is only one of so many. Behind every rescued animal is a life that matters, a life that deserves compassion, protection and a chance to live.

Please, don’t be indifferent. Every life matters.