Poor sweet Bijou was just hours away from death when rescuers found her shivering in a cage with her litter mates. The newborn kittens were about two days old and starving when they were whisked away to an emergency foster home.

Bijou was the youngest and smallest of her all-male siblings, but she was one of the lucky ones. One of her brothers passed away, but with 24-hour care Bijou and her three other brothers survived.

According to Susan Spaulding, co-founder of The National Kitten Coalition, the boys gained weight and moved onto rescue for adoption on schedule. But Bijou was a different story...

"Bijou, being the smallest at only 2.6 ounces on intake, progressed more slowly and at about 4 ounces seemed to stop growing," she told LoveMeow.

She may have been teeny tiny, she had the spirit of a lion.. see her transformation on Page 2!

It seemed touch and go for a while, as each time they thought she was making progress, little Bijou would lose a few grams and be back at square one.

It took a lot of TLC on behalf of her foster family, but eventually teeny Bijou got up to a healthy 8.2 ounces. Caring for a 'micro' kitten takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but her foster mother refused to give up on her:

"... as long as Bijou was fighting and comfortable, she would fight right along with her, " says Spaulding.

Now that she's four months old, Bijou weighs a whopping 1.6 pounds! She'll always be a tiny cat, but the worst seems to be behind her for sure! Hopefully she finds a loving forever home.

[h/t LoveMeow]