A cat in Ireland gave birth to her kittens in a bird’s nest and decided to keep the nest for her little family.
The kittens were found by the owner of a pet shop who was investigating the source of a squawking noise in the back garden behind his home. The pet shop’s owners will keep an eye on the kittens and will socialize them and find homes for them when they are old enough to leave their mother.
Ardee, County Louth resident Henry McGauley, who owns the shop with his wife Fiona, climbed up a ladder and discovered the kittens all by themselves in the former pigeon’s nest without their mother. The babies’ eyes were not yet opened when Henry found them.
The neighborhood stray had her four kittens eight feet off the ground, tucked into a protected spot amongst branches and leaves just above a cement block wall.
Mama kitty had returned to her babies when couple revisited the nest a few hours later.
Fiona told abc news: “We left [the kittens] there because there’s not much you can do because they have to be at least six weeks old before they can be taken from their mother.”
“It turned out we knew the cat. We always used to see her by the alleyway. She was pregnant, and she disappeared a few times.
“In a couple of weeks, the mum will probably bring the kittens to the back door for feeding. When they’re older, we’ll take them in, get them tamed and find permanent homes for them.”
Mama recently moved the kittens from the nest.
“There was a heavy shower the other day, so it seems like she moved the kittens, and they’re probably under the shed or somewhere inside there,” Fiona said.
The kittens should have no trouble finding homes.
According to Fiona: “A lot of our customers are in love with the kittens and excited for when they’re old enough to adopt.”
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I posted that very question under Facebook but my comment got deleted. With all the unwanted cats in the world I would think they would have TNR(Trap, neuter, release) this cat awhile ago….
it’s different outside the US. they don’t believe in keeping animals inside as much as we do. just a cultural difference. but i do indeed hope she get spayed and taken care of as well as her kittens!