When one mama cat found an enclosed, warm place to give birth to her kittens, she had no idea how dangerous it could’ve been!
The Rescue
When a gardener noticed stray kittens within the walls that guard the substation, she knew they were in imminent danger and called the Cat’s Protection rescue in Cambridge.
“I immediately contacted the power company and the engineers joined me at the site very quickly. We all had one goal – to get the kittens out safely,” said the rescue’s Cambridge Branch Coordinator, Niccy Towny. “I managed to catch the mum cat very easily, but because the kittens were not used to people they were very wary and difficult to catch. Two of them dashed inside the substation and at that point it became very dangerous as they were very close to a high voltage area.”
The feline family’s dangerous “home”–an electrical substation!
Luckily it wasn’t long before help arrived, but the moments spent waiting to bring the kittens to safety were nail-biting.
“The engineer arranged for the power to be shut off, but there was a very tense wait until this happened. All the time we were keeping everything crossed that the kittens didn’t move. If they did, they would have certainly been electrocuted,” Towny said.
Cambridge Branch Coordinator Niccy Towny assisting in the rescue.
It was a team effort, but with the help of Cat’s Protection volunteers and UK Power Networks, the family of 4 felines were rescued!
Meet the Cats
The cats have all been given appropriate names, given their origin story! Mama Elektra is thought to be 1-years-old.
“Elektra is a lovely, friendly cat, so it’s likely she was once a pet who has perhaps been abandoned and left to fend for herself. As she was not neutered, she would have become pregnant very young, and has done her best to raise her kittens,” said Towny.
Beautiful cat mom, Elektra.
The babies, about 10-weeks-old, are named Sparky, Flash and Joules.
Little baby Joules.
“While they are lovely kittens, they’re not used to people so we will be working very hard to socialise them and get them ready for homing. They will also be neutered and vaccinated, ready to find a new home – somewhere a lot more suitable than a power station!” Towny explained.
Rescuer Towny holding Sparky and Flash.
She also expressed her gratitude to UK Power Networks for going above and beyond their job descriptions and taking the time to help rescue the kitties!
What a great display of teamwork! It’s so good to see that all the kitties are safe. Keep up-to-date with the cats’ adoption status on the Cats Protection of Cambridge website.
