A car mechanic was stunned to discover seven tiny kittens huddled inside a box in a garage bin store after their mum bolted when he moved a pile of cardboard.
Vehicle technician Mike Dixon spotted the four boys and three girls after disturbing their makeshift hiding place.
The kittens, then just three to four weeks old, were tucked inside a box that was falling apart.
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Mike and colleague Beth Cupper, who has a degree in animal conservation and experience working at zoos, carefully moved the litter into a sturdier box before returning them to the store in the hope their mother would come back.
They added pieces of the original box to preserve the kittens’ scent and left tuna nearby to tempt mum back to Vertu Land Rover, Exeter, Devon.
But after five hours with no sign of her, Beth realised the youngsters needed professional help, as reported by What’s The Jam
She took them to St David’s Veterinary Hospital, where they received round-the-clock care and were hand-reared until they were old enough to start eating solid food.
The siblings have since moved to Cats Protection Devon Cat Centre, where staff and volunteers have been helping them learn the skills they would normally pick up from their mother – from playing and socialising to using the litter tray.
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Mike said: “We’d seen the mother in the area a few weeks before but didn’t think anything of it, and certainly didn’t realise she had taken her family into the bin store for safety.
“When I was moving cardboard, she suddenly shot out and then I spotted the kittens huddled together in a box that was falling to bits.
“Thankfully Beth had the knowledge and experience to know what to do to get the help they needed.”
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Beth said: “We were able to move the kittens into a new box to give them better protection, and put pieces of the old one in to retain their scent, along with some tuna to try and tempt Mum back.
“However, when she didn’t return, I knew they needed professional care, so we took them to the vets so they could be properly looked after.”
The kittens have all been named after characters from The Sound of Music: Bridget, Von Trapp, Marta, Gretal, Fred, Louis and Kurt.
Now around ten weeks old, they are expected to be ready for adoption soon, with Mike already hoping to give two of them a home.
Mark Magee, manager of Cats Protection Devon Cat Centre, said the litter had been lucky to be discovered when they were.
He said: “The kittens’ mother did a great job with them and they were all in good health other than needing worming.
“She couldn’t have known that the workshop team would show her young such kindness, nor that Beth would have a background in animal care and ensure they were safe.”
Staff are still hoping to find the mother and, if she returns, work with the garage team to humanely trap her so she can be neutered and potentially re-homed.
The centre, in Clyst Honiton around five miles from Exeter, has launched a £1,000 fundraising appeal to help cover the cost of the kittens’ care.
Any money raised above the target will go towards looking after other cats at the centre.
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