When a newsagent in North London opened up his shop on a chilly morning, he wasn’t expecting to deal with a litter of newborn kittens.
Stray cat Elsa had settled down in the small courtyard at the back of the shop to give birth, despite freezing cold temperatures outside.
Recognising Elsa as the stray he had occasionally fed in the past, the newsagent gave the cat a cardboard box to try to protect her from the elements, and called Mayhew Animal Home for help.
When animal welfare officers Tania and Georgina arrived at the scene, they found Elsa had given birth to three kittens, who they named Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf, high up on a ledge.
Elsa was cradling Anna between her paws, but seemed unsure how to cope with two more kittens.
Kristoff had fallen off the ledge but seemed to be moving and breathing, while poor Olaf was lying extremely still on the ground, showing no signs of life.
Georgina gently picked up Olaf and was surprised to find he reacted to the warmth of her hand, making the tiniest movement to let her know he was alive.
She quickly rushed Olaf to Mayhew’s emergency response van to settle him in front of the heater, while Tania managed to rescue Elsa, Anna and Kristoff from the ledge before they all drove over to the centre.
As Olaf warmed up on the journey he became more responsive and soon he, his mum, and his two siblings were settled in for a night’s rest at the Kitten Block.
Then Elsa went ahead and surprised everyone again by giving birth overnight to three more kittens, named Blaze, Sparky, and Ember.
After recovering from the ordeal the family were taken to a foster home where they quickly got on with cuddling up together.
All six kittens and their mum are now in good health and will soon be up for adoption – once Mayhew is able to reopen their doors to the public post-lockdown.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/02/stray-cat-elsa-gives-birth-litter-kittens-cardboard-box-freezing-cold-12499184/?ITO=squid
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