It was a lovely, sunny September day – a perfect evening to sit in the garden and have a cuppa. At 3.45pm I received a text message from my colleague Kim who had been contacted by one of our local vets about some kittens that had been handed into them.

I immediately called the vets and was told these kittens had been found at the side of the road by a taxi driver. He had stopped and collected them into his car and driven them to the nearest vet he could find. He was worried as he could not see their mum and the area is notorious for foxes.

I put on my shoes, grabbed my keys and a carrier and drove off in the direction of these poor babies. When I arrived, I told them I was the welfare team leader at Swale branch, and I was contacted to collect some newborns.

I was not prepared to see these tiny little bodies all huddled up. Their umbilical cords still attached, eye firmly shut and that cry of hunger - only 5 days old.

The vet explained that they had tried to feed them but they were not taking to the bottle so the situation was worse than I originally thought, and it was touch and go whether they would survive. These tiny little furballs were not in a good way.

I carefully placed them in the carrier and covered them with a blanket. These babies were so fragile I was afraid I’d break them. I took them to the nice warm car, strapped them into the front seat, but their crying was worse, so loud it hurt my ears.

Once we got home, I quickly made some kitten formula and poured 5ml into bottles. I put on some PPE, opened the carrier and picked up a little tabby. He was so tiny and frail. He suckled 1ml then stopped, he didn’t want anymore. My heart sank. The other 4 were the same, just took 1ml and stopped. Not a good start.

I put them in a nice warm crate with a heat pad, blankets and a heartbeat bear. They curled up and fell asleep. For the next 6 hours I fed them every hour, just a little each time but they took 1ml so at least I was getting something in them to try and get their energy and glucose up.

Midnight came, it was quiet and dark, I was tired but not giving up hope. I made the formula, put it into bottles and went to the foster room. One by one, they drank a full 5ml and, finally, there were no more hunger cries.

My colleagues at Swale branch were so supportive, and their encouragement kept me going through the nightly feeds and the tiredness. My teammates had my back, in the same way I have theirs.

For the next 4 weeks the babies grew, their beautiful eyes opened, their heads would turn when they heard my voice, and they gained weight each day. They are now 8 weeks old, about to start the process of vaccinations and microchipping. The kittens have been named Bailey, Lima, Juba, Havana and Tallinn – all of them full of mischief and so loving.

At Cats Protection, we have seen the rate of abandoned cats and kittens increase by over 30% this year. We have launched this appeal to help us support more cats like the these kittens. Your support will provide the food, warmth and expert care that cats who we help need, until we find them a loving new home.

We receive no government funding and rely heavily on kind members of the public to support our work and allow us to help kittens like this who are in life-threatening situations. Even a small gift can help abandoned cats and kittens, and every penny makes a difference.

We’re here for every cat’s journey, and for every owner who needs our advice and support.

On Behalf of Bailey, Lima, Juba, Havana and Tallinn thank you for reading.

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