THESE adorable kittens were brought to safety from a Somerset landfill site – with kippers playing a vital role in the rescue.

The hungry, dying kittens were saved from the dangers of the Westcombe Waste site in Somerton after they were discovered in a house-high woodpile.

Staff at the Somertonfield Road site reached out to Cats Protection Yeovil for help with feral cats at the waste and recycling centre after they found two unwell kittens and rushed them to the vet.

Sadly, the duo did not survive, but Rebecca Dawson, coordinator for the volunteer-run local branch of the cat welfare charity, soon arrived to assist with the remaining cats, not expecting to find any more kittens.

She set up two security cameras and humane traps in a bid to track and trap feral cats without causing unnecessary stress.

Initially spotting purely adult cats, Rebecca prioritised vet care and new outdoor homes for two pregnant cats and one limping female, named Stumpy, who was missing a paw.

It wasn’t until Rebecca returned for the next wave of cats, expecting to collect just healthy males in need of neutering, that a high-pitched meow caught her attention.

Rebecca heard meows from this giant woodpile at the Somerton site… Picture: Cats Protection

To her surprise, the tiny cries led her to a huge pile of wood that was waiting to be sorted – and four black-and-white kittens.

“I headed up the hill next to the woodpile armed with kippers to tempt the kittens out but at the top of the hill, I panicked,” she said.

“Stretching out behind the pile was a water treatment pool with rubber protective sides, ideal for waste management but potentially deadly to curious kittens.

“I returned to the other side of the pile and flung kippers across the wood, hoping to guide them away from the pool and onto a bridge that I quickly made down from the pile.”

The kittens were too scared to venture out but Rebecca quickly recorded their frantic meows and played the sound from behind a large tyre where she remained out of sight.

With more kippers in a nearby trap, the bravest ringleader of the kittens, a small mainly white boy with black patches, now named Jack, led the quartet into the trap, but valiantly ran out to let them eat while he kept watch.

“I knew that was my only chance to get them, so I held my breath as Jack ran off but I played the recording again and thankfully his siblings’ recorded meows brought him back,” Rebecca added.

“He checked they were all safe and eventually joined them inside the trap for food and I had caught them at last using the remote control.”

The cats were trapped using kippers – and cunning. Picture: Cats Protection

The one female and three male kittens were around five to six weeks old, malnourished and riddled with fleas and worms.

They were underweight at just 300g, the usual weight of a two-week-old kitten.

Jack, Jill, Skip and Marley, as they have been named, were all suffering from diarrhoea from the worms and their time outside and it was not certain they would survive.

But after two days in care, feisty little Jack crashed, finally relaxing and letting his exhaustion take over.

“We really weren’t sure Jack would make it. He’d been so brave and acted like the mum for his siblings but was no more than a baby,” Rebecca said.

“After plenty of TLC and two weeks of specialist food, he’s now a lively, healthy kitten and all four love nothing more than playing together and making mischief.

“I’m so grateful to the lads on site and Sophie the manager, they have really worked with me to help the cats and we just have around four or five of the remaining male cats to trap and neuter.

“I think everyone was surprised that there were around 20 cats in total, they’d kept themselves well hidden.”

Details for Jack, Jill, Skip and Marley will be posted at www.cats.org.uk/yeovil when they are ready for adoption.
For anyone interested in joining the team at Cats Protection Yeovil, they are keen to hear from potential administration, fostering and driving volunteers.

Email nicola.parry@cats.org.uk for an informal chat or visit www.cats.org.uk/volunteeropportunities to apply.

READ MORE: Pets news from your Somerset Leveller

The felines will soon be looking for new homes after their rescue adventure. Picture: Cats Protection