A pregnant cat has been rescued by the RSPCA after she was dumped in a cardboard box outside a vet practice.

The heavily pregnant cat was found abandoned in a box outside a vets in Pitsea, Basildon, on July 12. She was then taken in by the RSPCA Essex South and Southend branch.

On Monday 16 July, she gave birth to four kittens at the Shangri La Cattery, a private boarding establishment caring for the cats on behalf of the branch, but sadly only three of the little kittens survived. 

Echo:

Wendy Linge, at the cattery, said: “When we came into the cattery in the early hours of the morning, on Monday 16 July, she had already had three kittens but had left one of them outside her birthing den. All three of the kittens were cold, wet and lifeless so we scooped them up into a blanket, dried them off, put them on some heat pads and brought over a fan heater to warm them up. Slowly they were revived and we could give them back to mum to feed.

“Then an hour later another little kitten was born but sadly mum didn’t seem to take to this one too well. All four kittens seemed to be doing well but on Friday, we sadly found that one of the kittens had passed away.” 

Dixie, the two-year-old cat, is now feeding and caring for her remaining three kittens and they are all doing much better. The kittens have been named after the vacuums  - Henry, Hetty and George!