Kittens Found Outside Midlands Animal Shelter "Lucky To Be Alive"

Thursday, 4 November 2021 10:47

A staff member noticed them on his way into work.

An animal charity says five kittens are "lucky to be alive" after being found outside a midlands shelter in freezing temperatures.

The ISPCA says they were found with hypothermia by a staff member on his way into work recently.

Gerard Griffin, a senior Animal Care Assistant at the Longford charity, says "I noticed a cage and stopped to remove it when I discovered a number of kittens inside. I could see there was about five of them huddled together; they were absolutely soaking wet and shivering with the cold. It was difficult to determine how long they were there and I was really concerned they were suffering from hypothermia. With the rainfall and freezing cold conditions that night, they were lucky to be alive. I rushed them inside and tried to warm them up, giving them some food while I waited for an urgent veterinary assessment”.

The Longford charity says the kittens, named Adele, Gavin, Tiffany, Austin and Dylan, will be rehomed once they've recuperated.

Gerard added: “The kittens were no more than five weeks old and sadly have experienced the very worst start in their little lives. It’s heartless to think that someone just left them there all night and simply walked away”.

Gerard with the happy kittens.

ISPCA Centre Manager Trish Spargo says “These kittens experienced a very traumatic start in life. They are extremely friendly and it is obvious they are well handled and would have had lots of human contact. It’s a very irresponsible thing to do. They are very vulnerable and might not have survived the night in this cold weather”.

She also says it's an offence to abandon an animal and pet owners need to be aware that they have a responsibility to ensure there are proper provisions in place for their welfare.

The ISPCA is urging pet owners to spay or neuter their cats and kittens (when of age) as early as possible to prevent accidental and unwanted litters of kittens.

Cats and kittens adopted from the ISPCA are fully vaccinated, treated for parasites, neutered/spayed (when of age), cat-flap and litter-trained. They also offer six weeks free pet insurance. There is an adoption donation of €75 to help them cover some veterinary costs.

Kittens can become active at young as 16 weeks old and they can have as many as three litters per year.