Cats Protection West Midlands issues plea after bonded group found abandoned in dog crate

A cat rehoming centre has urged anyone struggling with pet care to seek help before reaching crisis point.

This comes after a pregnant cat and seven kittens were found dumped in an alleyway in Maypole.

Staff at Cats Protection West Midlands Cat Centre rescued the black four-year-old cat, now named Nadia, along with five kittens aged around four weeks and two older kittens believed to be around five and eight months old.

They were discovered in a dog crate by a volunteer on her way to the centre, who immediately raised the alarm.

Paula Beswick, deputy centre manager, said: “Thankfully temperatures only reached 16 degrees when the cats were found just before the heatwave, but that is still too hot for cats to be left in close confines with very little water, no food and no option to get away from each other.

“Had the cats not been found, the kittens certainly would have died.”

The hidden cost of abandonment

Once safe at the centre, Nadia gave birth to three more kittens, one of whom, named Nula, survived.

The remaining five youngest kittens must now be hand-reared around the clock, placing significant strain on a team already caring for more than 100 cats.

Paula added: “It is never acceptable to dump cats and we beg people to get in touch before they reach crisis point.

“We know times can be tough and we won’t judge. Without time to plan, it puts our centre in an extremely difficult situation and is unfair on other cats waiting for a space.”

The cats will be available for adoption via cats.org.uk/westmidlands once they have received a clean bill of health.