Tillicoultry: Cat charity raises funds for abandoned kitten

Forth Valley Cats Protection Adoption Centre set up a JustGiving page to help a young kitten that was abandoned by its feral mother.

Beans, a black and white domestic shorthair, was found in a garden in Tillicoultry.

Beans had been left behind in a Tillicoultry garden. (Image: Forth Valley Cats Protection Adoption Centre)

Mairi Wallace-Hunter, deputy adoption centre manager at Forth Valley Adoption Centre, said: “The neighbour had reported a feral cat with kittens to the Scottish SPCA a couple of weeks before and they had advised to leave the mother to care for the kittens as it is always best to leave the kittens with the mum as she can provide them with the best care up until they are weaned.

“On the day the kitten was reported to us (a Friday afternoon), the kitten had been crying since 6am that morning and there had been no sign of the mum returning. At this point we felt it was appropriate to step in and help the kitten.”

However, Beans seems to be adjusting to his new life well.

Mairi added: “He is getting on really well at Forth Valley. He is now in the care of the centre as he is now nearly nine weeks old. However when he first came into care, he had to go off be cared for by one of our fosterers so he could receive round the clock care.

“We think he was approximately three weeks old so still required milk at such a young age. We use a kitten replacement milk, and he was fed every few hours so it meant a lot of late nights. We shared it between the team to ensure no one got too exhausted! Luckily, he was a great kitten and took to bottle feeding easier than some hand rears we have had.

“Once he was about five to six weeks he started to take some soft kitten food and by eight weeks he was completely weaned on to kitten wet and dry food. He is such a playful and affectionate boy.

“He also suits his name as he is full of beans!” 

The original target on the JustGiving page was £750, so the cat home has surpassed its target. Any additional money made by the fundraising page will go towards helping other cats and kittens at the centre.

Mairi added: “We are all amazed how quickly the Just Giving Page reached its target. We had set a target of £750 and within 24 hours has raised nearly £800! We are extremely grateful to everyone who has donated.

"We have had an unprecedented number of kittens in the care of Forth Valley this year and as a result have been going through kitten food and litter at a rate of knots so this will help cover some of those costs."