On top of the box, a piece of paper had been hastily scribbled on: "Mother cat and 3 kittens. Found on the side of the road", along with a phone number. But as the staff carefully cut through the tape to free the prisoners, they immediately realised the note was a lie.
Inside, there wasn't a mother and her kittens, but three adult female cats, all heavily pregnant, crammed on top of each other in the tiny space. To make matters worse, the phone number left by the stranger turned out to be completely fake. The rescuers believe the poor animals had been trapped like that all night.
Relief for the rescuers
Sarah Avison, Feline Care Manager at Yorkshire Cat Rescue, took in two of the expectant mothers, named Charlie and Cherry, while another rescue centre cared for the third. She shared her horror at the situation: "Being squashed together in a flower tub, even if you're not pregnant, is torture. It must have been immensely distressing for them. If they had managed to escape before we arrived, they could have given birth outside in danger or been run over."
Fortunately, the worst was avoided. Very soon after arriving in the warm, Charlie and Cherry were able to give birth to their litters in complete safety.
Healthy and happy kittens
Charlie gave birth to four kittens, named Augustus, Josephine, Oompa and Loompa. Meanwhile, Cherry became the mum of two little miracles: Wonka and Humbug. "We went with a 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' theme to name this little family!" Sarah Avison said cheerfully.
Despite the trauma of their abandonment, both mothers are doing wonderfully well. They have joined a calming foster home where they are relaxing a little more each day while watching over their little ones. For the rescue team, this is a wonderful victory: "It's rewarding to show them that not all humans are capable of shutting cats in a plastic box." As soon as the kittens are weaned, the whole family will be put up for adoption to start their well-deserved new lives.