These 7-week-old kittens came to us after being found by a caring member of the public, who had come across 5 kittens stranded on a boat in Cookstown.

The kittens had been feed and looked after by their mum, but she had sadly disappeared, and no one in the area had seen her for 3 – 4 days. The kittens had been left alone, cold and hungry.

A kind member of the public found the kittens and contacted us to help after they hadn’t seen the mum again for a few days. Luckily the kittens still seemed within their socialisation window and could benefit from being brought into care without it causing excessive stress or negative welfare.

When the kittens arrived in our care, they were starving and had upset stomachs. They received immediate veterinary care for this, and we found out they were only around 5 weeks old!

On arrival, the kittens were unhappy, hissing and spitting, due to lack of socialisation with humans. Without the team of vets and the staff at Northern Ireland Cat Centre the 5 kittens would most likely pass away due to their age and being left alone, as they wouldn’t be able to fend for themselves.

The team have aptly named the kittens Tug, Mermaid, Olive, Skipper and Sailor. They have settled well and are now loving the attention and socialisation they are getting from staff and volunteers!

The kittens are still recovering from their difficult start in life, and are enjoying having some home comforts while being socialised and cared for. They have been in the centre for 18 days.

To get these kittens ready to go to their forever homes will cost over £2000. This will include the initial vet checks, treatment for diarrhoea, neutering, vaccines, worming and flee treatment, and microchips, as well as providing food, warmth, and a lot of TLC! We are hoping to raise £500 towards these costs.

We receive no government funding and rely entirely on the generosity of people like you. £500 will cover just some of their care extra care these kittens need, such as vaccinations, neutering, and microchipping. Any donations received above and beyond this amount will be used to care for these kittens and other cats across Northern Ireland who have ended up in our care through no fault of their own.

If you're unable to donate, please consider sharing this story with your friends, family, and on social media. Together, we can make a big difference to their lives.

Cats Protection help more cats than any other organisation and we want to help millions more. We are a dedicated community of passionate employees, volunteers, supporters and partners, working together to make life better for millions of cats and the people who care for them.

We are the voice of cats in society, and we speak up for their protection.

We’re working towards a society where every cat is treated with kindness and respect.

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