1 Kitten Dead, Another 'Struggling to Survive' After Found 'Bound and Discarded' in Middle of Field

— -- One kitten has died and another is struggling to survive after they were both found "bound and discarded" in the middle of a field in California's Bay Area, according to the Animal Control Division of the Solano County Sheriff's Office.

A good Samaritan who rescued the kittens last week said she had only found them "because they were crying so loudly that it drew her attention," said Sgt. Tim Baffiaco, supervisor of the animal control division.

If the woman had not found the kittens when she did, "they would have perished on the field," Baffico told ABC News. He added that the animal control division has launched an investigation into how the abused kittens ended up in the field.

The young felines were taken in last Thursday, Oct. 13, by Leona Edejer, manager of a Pet Food Express store in Benicia, California, who has been rescuing animals for over a decade.

"It was the worst case of animal abuse I had ever seen," Edejer told ABC News.

"Their legs had apparently been bound with rubber bands [...] and you could see lines of skin where their fur should have been," she said. "Their little paws were so swollen. They were more than four times the size they should have been."

The kittens were nicknamed Will and Grace by the store's staff, Edejer said. Unfortunately, a few days after they arrived, Grace had to be put down due to insufferable injuries.

"All four of her feet got necrotic and she had gangrene up to her shoulder," she said. "Her quality of life would have been completely gone if we tried to amputate all her legs, so we had to have her euthanized."

Edejer, her staff and volunteer organization Solano County Friends of Animals are now desperately trying to save Will.

"His feet are so raw right now that he can't touch anything not sterile," Edejer told ABC News. "We carry him around everywhere in a blanket in a potty bad to keep his feet clean."

She added that Will is "struggling to survive right now, but we've seen him significantly improve over the past few days, so we're hopeful."

Edejer said she wants to thank the executives of Pet Food Express for supporting the kittens and "allowing and encouraging" her to do rescue work.