Trudi, Mark and the ferals!
On Monday, June 1st 2020, Mark and Trudi found a family of kittens and their mother, living as (what we assumed to be ferals) under a collapsed stable. Trudi mentions “When we first heard about Abbey - the mother cat, we were under the impression that she was feral. We were so very wrong! The first thing she did was greet us with purrs, head-bumps and little meows. She showed us so much love, and was happy to just sit in our company. The kittens were going to be tricky though, we estimated them to be 4-5 weeks, and full of mischief. Their home was a collapsed stable, and their favourite hiding places were inaccessible to us.”
They needed a plan! The first thing they did was to set up a trail camera to see how many kittens there were, and they started feeding mum regularly three times a day to gain her trust and that of her kittens. They went to feed her every day at 6am before they started work, staying for as long as they could. Our CEO, then Lorri went again at lunch time, with Trudi and Mark going again as soon as they finished work, coming home at 9pm in time to feed our their own hungry cats.
This went on for days, and each time they would go in with the hope that we would be able to catch the 4 kittens. Each day they left disappointed and upset, having just caught glimpses of the kittens, or not having been able to see them at all.
At this point they cracked out more technology! Night vision binoculars gave us a clear view of the area, and FLIR thermal imaging allowed us to see where the kittens were hiding. With the help of this tech they were able to see the kittens in the wall of the stable, safe, warm and very well hidden. And unfortunately also very inaccessible!
Fast forward a couple of days, and they finally managed to catch two ginger kittens with a net on that Thursday evening, so they were quickly transported to safety and our efforts went in to overdrive to catch the others. Exhausted and having not had a decent meal for quite a few days, they went on Saturday morning determined that they would get them before it got any colder. They needed to get this incredible family back together!
And so with patience and persistence they finally managed to net the two remaining kittens. Abbey, the mother cat and her four kittens are now safe and warm with full bellies and soft beds. The kittens are already learning that humans can be kind, and Abbey remains one of the sweetest cats we’ve ever met.
Huge thanks to everyone who has helped us, and to everyone who has donated, no matter how big or small. If you would like to help us continue our work, you can find out more information on how to donate via the support us page.
