A mother cat and her kittens were discovered nesting in a tree in Buckinghamshire, under the watchful eye of a devoted father cat.
When Cats Protection volunteers tracked down the mother of a freshly born litter thought to be in danger, they discovered her three kittens nesting in an old bird’s nest high up in a tree.
There were fears that the kittens would fall out and become injured.
Volunteers from our Chiltern Branch went to investigate claims of a welfare issue with a colony of cats on an industrial site in Amersham, which led to this miraculous rescue.
“When I got there, a lady came out to inform us she had been feeding a cat from the colony who had just given birth and she thought it needed our attention,” said Ruth Goller of the welfare team.
“After a newborn kitten of the same age as this litter was discovered dead on a lady’s doorstep, our first concern was to locate the mother and remaining kittens.” We spent a week combing gardens, leafleting a large area, and asking residents to keep an eye out for the kittens that mum had concealed. We even built up video traps, but none of them worked.
“Then the mother appeared one morning with a man who appeared to be linked to her. I observed her eat, and it was clear that she’d recently given birth to kittens and was still nursing them, but we had no idea where she’d hidden them.
“Both the mother and the tom were pleasant. We obtained confirmation from site owners and inhabitants that they were members of the site colony when I stroked them.
It was also evident from that first encounter that the tom was injured and required quick veterinarian assistance.”
Ruth realized she had to act quickly after determining that the cats’ welfare was in danger.
It was evident they were a bonded couple when the male disappeared around a corner and the mother shouted for him. Ruth watched as they leaped up a tree at the site’s back, hoping they would take her to the kittens.
“I wanted a closer look, so I climbed up onto some containers and reached up into the big tree,” she explained.
That’s when I noticed a nest with three kittens being fed right in front of me. I was overjoyed to have discovered them. From a distance, the male was watching.”
Ruth installed humane confinement traps after being relieved by what she discovered, then backed off and waited.
“I was scared the mother might move the kittens because she knew we had found her nest,” she explained. We needed to gently trap her first, then carefully remove the kittens out of the nest because they were only a week old and very little.
“After a few hours of waiting, the mother appeared and entered the trap. That was our opportunity. We walked back up the tree, and because the kittens were only a week old, picking them out of the nest and placing them in a cat carrier was simple.”
Mum and kittens were safely captured and given to Sue Buck, a Cats Protection fosterer.
It was determined that the tom required veterinarian attention once he was also under care. “He was in a poor way, limping horribly and walking on three legs,” Ruth explained.
I contacted our veterinarian, who consented to examine his injury. He stayed in for a few days since he got an abscess on his foot.”
Thankfully, the abscess healed quickly, and the male – now known as cat Willet by his rescuers – was reunited with his mother Oriole and her kittens Bran, Jay, and Lori after being neutered. The cats were all given bird names.
“He is a good ‘dad’ to the kittens, cleaning and playing with them – but he gets irritated when they confuse him for mum at feeding time,” Sue said.
“They’re such a sweet family.” Willet treats the kittens like his own children, grooming them. Willet and Oriole are clearly linked, and we’d love to rehome the mother and boy cat together.”
“It is highly unusual for a tomcat to hang around after kittens have been delivered,” said Kathryn Graves, Secretary of the Chiltern Branch. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen it.”
The kittens are still young, and the branch is not accepting adoption inquiries at this time. The branch’s Facebook page will be updated with information.
Former businesses on the site adopted nine neutered cats to deal with a rodent infestation, according to Cats Protection. Shortly after, a number of stray cats joined the colony, having more kittens and increasing the population. When fed by locals, some of the cats, such as the mother and tom, remained friendly and were thus ready for rehoming as pets.
“There are still strays there who need our support,” Ruth explained, “so we’ve been talking to the workers about their care, and a number of cats have already been trapped and neutered.”
“Because there are so many owned cats there, we need to make sure we only get strays, so we’ve employed wildlife cameras, social media, and brochures, and we’re talking to residents about neutering and microchipping their own cats.”
“As a tiny branch with only a few fosterers, it’s tough for us to aid so many cats, so we appreciate any help we can get from the surrounding community and businesses.”
