Posted on 05/12/2014 7:28:37 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A remarkable kitten who survived being born under the bonnet of a moving car on a 60 mile journey has been nursed back to health by two dogs.
Tabby Kit is the sole survivor of five kittens found inside the engine of a van after their mother crawled under the bonnet to give birth.
Unbeknown to the driver, the terrified pet had her kittens en route from Essex to London, and ran away after the 60-mile journey, leaving the kittens fighting to survive.
Kit, who is now nine-weeks-old, was only discovered when his brother fell out onto the pavement in front of passer-by Chantelle McLaren-Smith.
Despite Ms McLaren-Smith’s best efforts to warm the animals up, all the kittens but Kit died before she was able to get them to an RSPCA animal shelter in Putney.
Fighting for his life, the black and white creature was taken under the paws of rescue dogs Chilli, a Jack Russell terrier, and American bulldog cross Rodney.
The pair of dogs nursed the kitten back to health and even taught him to play.
Ms McLaren-Smith, who found the kittens in Hoxton, London, at the end of February, said: ‘One of the kittens fell out as we walked past the van and we then heard mewing from inside the engine.
‘We opened the bonnet and to our surprise and shock saw them all sitting there – the driver had no idea they were there.
‘Unfortunately, mum cat took fright and ran away – and I never found her again despite much searching.
‘The babies she left were freezing, barely breathing and so tiny, apparently just a day or so old.
‘One of the guys in the van tried so hard to resuscitate one of the kittens, by putting him in his glove and sitting with him in the van with heater on. But it was too late.
‘It was a heartbreaking day for me seeing those poor little kittens like that – but I am so pleased to hear that Kit is doing so well now. A little bit of a miracle, I would say.’
RSPCA clinical manager Sian Anderson helped look after the kitten after his ordeal.
The foster carer said Kit had to be given extra attention to give him a chance to pull through, and put his miraculous recovering down to his two dog carers.
She said: ‘It is incredibly sad that little Kit lost his mum and siblings so young, but we are all so delighted he has survived and is now strong enough to be rehomed.
‘Since he never really had the care he needed from his mum, we have had to give him extra special attention.
‘At first he needed to be helped with going to the toilet, hand-fed with special milk every two hours including through the night, and, as he could not regulate his own temperature for himself, kept warm and comfy by us.
‘Our rescue dogs Chilli, a Jack Russell terrier, and Rodney, an American bulldog cross, were especially vigilant carers.
‘They washed him, played with him and taught him manners – as well as providing him special animal comfort in their cuddles that he would have been missing from his absent mum.
‘I put it down to their care that Kit is such a special, mischievous and affectionate little fellow now despite his difficult start in life. He is just lovely to have around and will make someone a lovely pet.’
Staff said Kit craves lots of attention, so ideally needs someone with previous cat experience and a quiet home.
To adopt Kit, email: rspca.wimbledonbranch@gmail.com
Ping
Ping for great cuteness.
What ho, why would a moving car be a threat to a kitten being born? Did they also time warp to the 19th Century when that sort of thing was believed?
wouldn’t it have been more accurate to say new born kitten survives 60 mile trip under an automobile bonnet?
Thanks!
That happened to my neighbor in TX. Their teenaged son backed the car out of the driveway and started down the street. Kittens fell out every which way. Unfortunately, they all died. Nobody knew where they had come from, as the family did not own any cats.
I once started the engine of my car parked outside and heard an awful row that I’d never heard before. I raised the hood to discover why and stared eyeball to eyeball with a very angry cat. It suddenly left for parts unknown like the shot from a gun.
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