I remember seeing this on tv! It was a great story! It's kind of emotional for me because I've been taking care of some feral cats too and one of them has a litter of very young kittens that she keeps moving to different locations. I'm hoping to catch them all later to spay/neuter them.
"Cuteness" is really common among young animals and is actually a very serious survival tactic. It contributes to things like this happening.