KITTENS rescued from a garden in Sheldon have now settled in their new home after being nursed back to health at the Cats Protection Centre in Hollywood over the past six months.
With names inspired by JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Rosie-Cotton, Pippin, Merry and Sam, were saved from weeks of pain, discomfort and probable death by a kind member of the public.
The £3,000 funding for the two male and two female black-and-white kittens’ treatment and recovery was helped by almost £3,000 of public donations.
Paula Beswick, deputy adoption centre manager, said: “We are delighted that the kittens have made such a wonderful recovery and would like to thank everyone who donated and helped us give them the best possible care.
“When they first arrived and we opened the box we found that the kittens, who we thought were around six weeks old, were not only covered in ringworm but also suffering from severe cat flu.
Sam was completely unresponsive, with the worst case of the illnesses we have ever seen at the centre.
“The kittens were all underweight, grubby and struggling to breathe.
“They had painful crusty eyes and their skin was scratched raw in places. It is almost certain that without coming into our care, the kittens would not have survived much longer outdoors.
“We are extremely grateful to the kind gentleman who brought them to us.”
The orphaned kittens not only needed round-the-clock care, but they were also battling the potentially deadly combination of cat flu and ringworm which was putting strain to their delicate immune systems.
David and Monica Simpson from Redditch adopted two of the kittens, sisters Rosie-Cotton and Merry, in December last year.
David said: “After our beloved male cat Binky passed away at 17 years old, and once we felt ready to welcome another into our home, we visited Cats Protection.
“We were told that Rosie and Merry had both been found to be in a very poor physical state at the time of their rescue and that through the dedication of staff at the centre and the generosity of donor funding for their medical care, they had made a full recovery before their adoption.
“They have now settled and are doing well at home, proving to be a very energetic pair who are devoted to each other.”
