NEW homes are being sought for a mother cat and her five kittens discovered at the end of October under a garden shed in Mitcheldean.

Cats Protection volunteers were called to rescue the cats by the homeowner, as he believed they were in distress. While the mother was quickly caught, it took volunteers three days to catch all the kittens.

A spokesperson for Cats Protection said: “The call came on the wettest and coldest day of October. It was fairly easy to catch the mother but it took three days to trap the kittens. The first day saw three kittens caught, the second, another one and on the third day, the last kitten was finally rescued.

“The little family was taken to the warmth and safety of a local fosterer’s home in Mitcheldean. It was lovely to see the last kitten, hungry, cold and frightened, united with the rest of her family. She had been calling for her mum but, having been welcomed by the others, she was soon warm, dry and well fed.

“The kittens have progressed well under the expert eye of fosterer, Celia O’Keeffe. The mother has been named Betty. She is black and white and very pretty, a devoted mother and very protective of her kittens. Though, at first frightened, she has shown no aggressive tendencies and has responded well to the care and affection shown to her. All the kittens, two tortoiseshell, two black and one black and white, tended at first to scatter if anyone approached them. They are now receiving compulsory cuddles from Celia to socialise them ready for new homes.

“The cuddles are working and the kittens are now about seven weeks old. They will be ready for homing at twelve weeks. They are still sleeping a lot and, when they are awake, are spending a lot of time galloping round the room together. Betty is gradually regaining the confidence in human beings which she lost and the entire family will make really nice pets when they are ready.”

If you are interested in adopting Betty and her kittens, or any of the other cats on www.cats-forestofdean.co.uk, please ring Cats Protection helpline on 01594 841511.