Three defenceless kittens found abandoned in a cardboard box are on the road to recovery at Battersea‘s Old Windsor Centre.
The tiny brood were only a week old when they were found last month and would have died within hours had they not been found and rescued.
Despite their ordeal, the three kittens are in good health and are being fostered by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home staff. They have been named, Emily, Charlotte and Anne. At just five weeks old, they happily already have homes lined up.
Sadly, the trio’s story is not an isolated incident, Battersea Old Windsor regularly sees similar cases. The past few months have been particularly busy with three boxes of kittens being found and brought into the Berkshire centre.
Just last month, Mushroom, a tiny black kitten estimated to be around three-months old, was left outside a block of flats in a cardboard box. He was found by a member of the public, who brought him straight to Battersea Old Windsor. Luckily Mushroom was in good health and the cheeky little cat quickly found a new home.
The month before, in March, two young cats and a nine-month old kitten were found in a box left by a river in the village of Hurst, Berkshire. The trio named Peanut, Butter and Jelly by Battersea staff, were distressed but healthy, and have since found new homes.
Georgia Randall, Cattery Team Leader at Battersea Old Windsor, said: “All these cats were luckily found in time and brought to safety, but it goes without saying that leaving helpless animals outside in a cardboard box is a huge risk to their welfare.
“The frequency with which we see cats being abandoned outside in boxes is deeply concerning. We understand that people are often in difficult situations, but we want to stress that abandoning them is not the only option.
“Battersea’s doors are always open to anyone who has cats or kittens that they can no longer take care of and our staff are not judgemental when it comes to dealing with owners, no matter what their reasons for bringing an animal in.”
For more information you can contact Battersea’s Old Windsor’s cattery team on 01784 494 462 or visit www.battersea.org.uk.
