Kitten litter found in caravan set for disposal in Livingston have had a lucky escape

A litter of kittens had a lucky escape when they were discovered hiding in a disused caravan that was destined for disposal.

Staff at Buchanan Skip Hire in Livingston gave the caravan a check over before it was due to be taken away from their site when they discovered a mum cat with three kittens hiding inside.

Upon finding the kittens, the staff called the Cats Protection West Lothian branch who sent volunteers to take them to safety.

Branch coordinator David Cochrane said: “The company kindly held up the work they planned to do with the caravan and left it completely alone until we were able to get there later in the day. We successfully managed to get mum and kittens out and into foster care.

The kittens have now all found a new home

“A few days later we got another called from Buchanan’s to say they had found another kitten in the yard. When we arrived there was a lot of coo-ing going on over a wee tortoiseshell kitten!”

The first three kittens, who are around four weeks old have been named Maggie, Molly and Mitch, while the fourth is waiting on a new name.

Mum Trudie is around 18-months-old and while was initially very protective of her litter and growled at the volunteers trying to help her, within 48-hours she was happy to approach them for attention and food, and allowed the kittens to get some human affection.

All the cats have now received a clean bill of health by a vet, and they have already all been reserved for adoption after they garnered so much interest on the branch’s Facebook page.

It is not the first time the West Lothian Branch has been called out to the skip site, having previously spent two days enticing out a mum and her litter from underneath a Portakabin. Again, while initially wary of her saviours in no time at all she was the most loving and affectionate cat who was successfully rehomed, as were her youngsters.

As well as taking in unwanted cats, the branch promotes neutering as a safe way to stop unwanted pregnancies and provide many health benefits for both male and female cats. It is part of an Edinburgh and Lothians-wide scheme which issues vouchers for £5 to cover neutering and microchipping for those on low incomes.

The pandemic has hit the charity hard as it has not been able to carry out any of its usual fundraising activities but has continued its work helping needy cats.

David added: “As with many other charities, we have more money going out than coming in at the moment, so although these wee ones have a home to go to, if anyone would like to make a small donation to help with our ongoing work, we would be very grateful for that at this difficult time.”

Anyone wishing to find out more information on neutering, or ways to donate to the charity can find out on their website.

Cats Protection is now able to take in new cats, however are unable to carry out home visits at this time.

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