Kittens rescued from building site by National Animal Welfare Trust

Mother gave birth to litter in unfinished bathroom

THESE adorable kittens will soon be off to loving homes – after being discovered on a building site.

Builders arrived at a housing development one day to find the mother had given birth to a litter of six in the bathroom of one of the unfinished properties.

After being alerted, staff at the National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT) in Great Shefford stepped in to save the day.

The young mum was not chipped and when advertised as lost no owner was forthcoming.

Staff at Trindledown Farm named the mother Cala, after her rescuers from the CALA Homes development in Oxfordshire.

She is now relaxing in her own space with a warm radiator, bedding and three meals a day.

She has been microchipped, spayed and de-flead and will soon be off to loving new owners.

Meanwhile, the kittens are healthy and exploring their new space enthusiastically.

First they will need neutering, vaccinating and have flea and worm treatments.

The kittens all have names inspired by their bathroom origins – Armitage, Shanks, Triton, Looloo, Harpic and Loofah.

Cala and her kittens will generate just under £2,000 in vets bills before they find new homes.

Her rescuers have created a fundraising page to help towards the cost at www.justgiving.com/campaign/CalaKittens and kickstarted it with a donation from CALA Homes.

Meanwhile the centre continues to struggle financially.

In an appeal to Newbury Weekly News readers, NAWT centre manager Tracy Waldron said: “As we head into the winter in these unprecedented times, I’m urging you not to forget local charities like us that have seen our income cease overnight.

“Calls for help on our services have increased, with more families unable to afford their pets, a bereavement in the family that can leave pets behind or just a change in owners’ circumstances.

“We’re always here to help, we never stop caring and we are a large part of your community.”

She added: “The costs to keep Trindledown running are still here, we still have large food bills and increasingly large vet bills to cover.

“These bills don’t go away and with limited ways for us to fundraise this is now taking its toll on us.

“We have not qualified for any of the share of the £750m announced for charities and we really need your help.

“The centre has remained closed since March 23, although we have managed to start rehoming by appointment only.

“Our onsite charity shops are now back open again by appointment, so if you have some shopping to do please make an appointment and come to see the wide range of items we have for sale at greatly reduced prices.

“You can book an appointment by simply calling the centre.

“We are Covid safe and you will have the shop to yourself.

“All proceeds from the sales in our shops goes directly back into helping the animals in our care.

“If you feel you would like to donate to help us get through this winter then please call (01488) 638584 or you can donate online via our website using www.nawt.org.uk/centres/berkshire

“We really do appreciate every penny and so do the animals, so thank you to everyone for supporting us in these difficult times.”