Maternal moggy steps in to care for extra litter of kittens
A cat at the Blue Cross rehoming centre in Southampton has taken on more than her fair share of the work by becoming a surrogate mother for another cat’s kittens, as well as caring for her own.
Cats Jess, 6, and Mia, 3, arrived at Blue Cross together when their owner was no longer able to care for them. They had seven kittens between them, having given birth just a week apart. While Mia had taken to motherhood like a duck to water with her four kittens, Jess wasn’t feeling too well and was struggling to feed her brood of three. Luckily, new mum Mia was on hand to step in and save the day and was happy to feed Jess’s kittens too.
Vicky Murray, Animal Welfare Assistant at Blue Cross in Southampton, said: “Poor Jess was a bit under the weather when she arrived, but luckily Mia seems to have enough maternal instinct for both of them. She’s doing a fantastic job of looking after all seven kittens as if they were her own. And Jess is feeling a bit better now and has begun to help out with the feeds from time to time too - they’re all one big happy family!”
Last year, Blue Cross rehoming centres across the country took in over 1,500 unwanted and abandoned kittens and numbers continue to grow.
Vicky added: “Sadly, we’re taking in more and more unwanted kittens every year, a problem which could be easily solved if only owners would get their pets neutered.”
Jess, Mia and all the kittens will all be looking for new homes as soon as the kittens are old enough. If you are interested in finding out more about them, or any of the other pets currently looking for new homes, contact Blue Cross in Southampton on 0300 777 1530 or visit www.bluecross.org.uk.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
• Photos of Mia, Jess and the kittens available, please contact the press office.
• The Blue Cross Southampton pet rehoming centre opened in 1991 and successfully rehomes hundreds of cats and dogs every year, serving communities across Hampshire.
• To contact the centre please call 0300 777 1530. The address is Blue Cross animal rehoming centre, Bubb Lane, West End, Southampton, Hants SO30 2HL. The centre is open daily between 11.00am and 4.00pm, Sundays and Bank Holidays from 11.00am until 2.00pm, closed on Thursdays.
• Blue Cross has been dedicated to helping poorly, injured and abandoned pets for over 100 years. We opened the world’s first animal hospital in 1906 and since then our doors have never closed to sick and homeless animals.
• Today we run four animal hospitals and 12 rehoming centres across the UK, which provide treatment and seek happy homes for thousands of cats, dogs, small pets and horses every year.
• Blue Cross actively campaigns to improve all aspects of animal welfare, working with the government, schools and others to improve the lives of pets and their owners. For more information, please visit www.bluecross.org.uk.
Media contact
Sophia Khan, Blue Cross press office: 020 7932 4070