Last weekend, a litter of young kittens we’ve called the “Bucket” babies - Onslow, Hyacinth, Rose, Richard, and Daisy - had to be rushed to our out-of-hours vet after suddenly getting very poorly. They came to us after being found in a bucket and had been doing well being hand-reared by one of our fosterers, until Saturday night, when Onslow was found unresponsive. The other kittens also started showing signs of illness, and needed medication, blood tests, and an overnight stay.

Tragically, little Onslow was so poorly that his tiny body couldn’t cope, and he didn’t make it. Thankfully, his siblings are starting to get better with round-the-clock care from their fosterer. Two of the sickest kittens aren’t out of the woods yet, but we’re keeping everything crossed that they all pull through.

Last month, two other kittens - Skylar and Sasha - also needed urgent care. Skylar suddenly became poorly on a Saturday evening and had to be rushed to our out-of-hours vet, with Sasha taken in the following evening after also becoming really unwell. With lots of care, medication, and TLC, they thankfully both recovered and went on to get adopted!

We’ve just received the bill for these emergencies, and even with a charity discount, it comes to £2,000! This is a big chunk of money for us, and we still have a centre full of animals to care for and new arrivals coming in all the time.

So, we’ve started this fundraiser to help towards the bill and ensure we can give the Bucket kittens any further treatment they might need to give them the best possible chance. Kittens can get seriously ill in a matter of hours, and we have to be ready to help whenever they need us.

We know we’ve asked for help recently, and we’re so sorry to ask again, but these kittens need us. We’re independent and self-funded, so we have to find every penny it costs to care for these kittens and all the other animals that need us.

We are so grateful for every donation - even just £1 can make a real difference towards lifesaving care for these kittens and others who need us this year.

Thank you for helping us be there for them when it matters most.

The RSPCA Derby Team x

In Memory of Onslow.