Four tiny 10-day-old kittens, found in a bin bag, are now on the road to recovery thanks to Mayhew and their dedicated team of foster carers.
The kittens, named Teenie, Tiny, Titch and Smalls by Mayhew staff, were first discovered by a member of the public who noticed the black bin bag moving in Brent in North West London.
After finding the scared and tiny kittens inside, the member of the public immediately brought them to Mayhew, where they were alerted to the attention of the Animal Welfare Officers. The Vet Team were on hand to give the kittens a full check-up and the cattery team settled them into a cosy cabin in the kitten block where they could feel safe, settled and secure.
Mayhew’s Animal Welfare Officer, Paul Grimes, said: “We can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been for these 10-day-old kittens to be abandoned in a bin bag. It’s worrying to think what would have happened to the kittens if they hadn’t been found so quickly.”
Since they were without their mother, Teenie, Tiny, Titch and Smalls needed round-the-clock specialist care, so two of the dedicated foster carers took on the task of hand-rearing them.
Mayhew’s Cat Welfare Coordinator, Georgina Disney, said: “As they are sadly without their mother, we needed to do everything that the mummy cat would usually do to ensure they grow into happy adult cats. Every three hours throughout the day and night our foster carers had to feed them with special veterinary-formulated kitten substitute milk. It is always best to have routine and stability and we usually keep the kittens with the same foster carer.
“This is such a difficult and time-consuming job which involves a lot of close monitoring and specialist care, that’s why it can be dangerous for anyone to try and do it themselves, so we recommend always coming to us first. We recommend seeking a vet’s advice or call us for advice as in the hands of an inexperienced person, it could be life threatening for the kittens.
“We are incredibly grateful for our experienced foster carers who Mayhew staff trained to help us to hand rear kittens, like Teenie, Tiny, Titch and Smalls.”
Once they are all old enough, they will be vaccinated and neutered and ready to find their purrfect forever home.
To find out more about fostering a Mayhew animal and to apply to become a foster carer, visit www.themayhew.org
