A stray cat's final act of devotion has led to her kittens being rescued after she died on a road in Cornwall.
The Tamblyn family were surprised when the feline wandered into their home carrying a kitten, depositing him on the kitchen floor before leaving. When she returned 24 hours later with another kitten, Jane Tamblyn contacted Cats Protection for advice.
The animal charity is now caring for the four kittens, after the mother saved three of them, with the fourth finding his own way to his siblings.
Mrs Tamblyn, 67, from Truro, said: “We live at the top of Chacewater Hill between treacherous crossings.
“Kerley crossing in particular is a very dangerous stretch of road these days. The mother cat was very brave, bringing the kittens over it and down a 100 yard track to us.”
The team established the kittens were around five or six-weeks-old and the mother was taking them somewhere safe to wean them.
Concerned there may be more kittens, centre staff agreed with Mrs Tamblyn and her husband Dave, 76, that the family would keep them for a couple of days in their sheltered barbeque area which would allow the mother easy access to the kittens and to deliver other kittens if needed.
The mother did arrive with a third kitten, but tragedy struck on the day the Tamblyns were due to transport the family of cats to the charity.
Mrs Tamblyn said: “On the day we were going to bring them to the centre, the mother cat was outside the house having some food.
“She then suddenly went up the lane – maybe she was looking for the last kitten, we don’t know – but later that morning my youngest son found she had been killed on the road that goes past our house.
“He rushed in and told my husband, Dave, who caringly took her off the road and buried her in the apple orchard where we’ve buried our other family pets.
“We all really loved that cat and we’d hoped we could have her back once the kittens were old enough.”
The Tamblyns took the three orphan kittens to the centre but a few days later a crying fourth kitten arrived at their back door.
“The mother bringing them across those roads really was a miracle but we also couldn’t believe how brave he must have been and that he had the instinct to survive and find us,” Mrs Tamblyn said.
“The kittens were all so lucky to be saved.”
They placed the kitten in their conservatory and then rang the centre so that he could be reunited with the rest of his litter.
The kittens are now all eating solid food, have received a vet check and are in good health.
Now around seven-weeks-old, the two black and white male kittens have been named Badger and Squirrel, the male tabby-and-white kitten is called Rabbit and the female tortoiseshell is called Fox.
Ciaran Brookes-Whyte, from the charity, said: “How Squirrel found his way is a mystery.
“It is so deeply sad that their mother went to such lengths to get her kittens to safety only to be killed on the road.
“We feel extremely proud to be able to continue her amazing work. She had brought them up beautifully and they are all thriving.”
Each of the kittens will need a period of socialisation before they can be homed.
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