A litter of tiny kittens were found in a back street after being cruelly abandoned and left overnight in chilling temperatures.
The adorable kittens were just four or five days old when they were discovered in Shipcote Terrace, Gateshead, by a member of the public at 7am on September 29, and were still so juvenile that they had not yet opened their eyes since being born.
All five kittens - four females and one male - were taken to the RSPCA and have so far defied the odds and survived. It was feared that they might die due to hunger and being away from their mother but, under the care of cattery supervisor and RSCPA inspector Rachel Hurst, are going from strength to strength.
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“They were clean and dry and in good health, but very hungry when I collected them. It was sad to see they had been abandoned and they were very lucky to survive,” she said.
“I should imagine they will need another two to three weeks of hand rearing. Once they are weaned and eating kitten food they are likely to go to Felledge Animal Centre.”
Rachael is sharing their care with her partner, Jamie, at their North East home. Jamie fits in the day shift around his work, while Rachael is up every four hours in the night to ensure the kittens get bottle-fed around the clock.
“They are very young and a real handful. My partner works from home, so that has helped during the day and I look after their night-time care,” she said. “I make sure they get a feed quite late on, then do a 1am feed and get some sleep before getting up at 5am to do it all again.
“We’re both happy to help, although they are keeping us busy. They are lovely and I should imagine there will be plenty of colleagues ready to take their turn when I go into Felledge for our inspectors’ monthly meeting.”
The whereabouts of the kittens’ mother and who left them to fend for themselves remains a mystery, though the RSPCA has asked anyone with details of a litter that was being kept in the area in the last week of September to make contact.
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