A one-year-old cat and her litter of newborn kittens huddled in a garden shed on one of the coldest nights of the year.
A member of the public discovered the feline family in a shed in Neath and contacted Cats Protection’s Bridgend Adoption Centre for assistance.
Rachel Davies, a volunteer, rushed to retrieve the mother cat, Crystal, and her four kittens, all of whom were believed to be less than a week old. Frosty was the name given to the grey-and-white male kitten, while his three tortoiseshell sisters were named Snowdrop, Snowflake, and Icicle.
“When I came, I saw Frosty wasn’t as energetic as his sisters,” Rachel explained. He was cold and didn’t seem interested in responding, so I put him inside my top so he could benefit from my warmth. With Frosty wrapped in a towel on my car’s heated seats, I rushed the remainder of the kittens to the center.”
Crystal and her daughters prospered once they were established at the center, but Frosty, the tiniest of the kittens, did not survive despite initial vet treatment and two days of emergency care at the vet surgery.
“From the moment Crystal and the kittens came, it was a true rollercoaster of emotions,” said Deputy Manager Teresa Blair. The warmth of the center was quite beneficial to her and her daughters, but nothing we tried seemed to assist Frosty.
“At one point, our veterinarian felt that the quickest way to save the tiny cat was to rewarm him using body heat, so she wrapped him in her clothing and raced him to the medical practice to try to save his life.” He recovered at first, but after such a terrible start, he simply wasn’t strong enough.
“It’s instances like this that drive home the importance of neutering animals as soon as possible.” Because Crystal is so young, we suspect she has already given birth to several litters. It’s incredible that any of them made it through the blizzard. We will, of course, sterilize her and the kittens before they are adopted.”
