TINY kittens are safely in charity care after their mother saved them, only to be killed in a road traffic accident shortly afterwards.

Three kittens were delivered by a stray cat to a home near Chacewater, while a fourth miraculously found his own way to his siblings shortly after his mother’s death.

Jane Tamblyn rang Cats Protection Cornwall Cat Centre in Carnon Downs for advice when the first kitten was deposited him on her kitchen floor, followed by a second 24 hours later.

“We live at the top of Chacewater Hill between treacherous crossings,” she said. “Kerley crossing in particular is a very dangerous stretch of road. The mother cat was very brave, bringing the kittens over it and down a hundred-yard track to us.”

The team established that the kittens were around five or six weeks old, with the mother seeking somewhere safe to wean them. Concerned there may be more kittens, Jane and husband Dave agreed to keep them for a couple of days in their sheltered barbecue area to allow the mother easy access to the kittens.

The mother arrived with a third kitten, but on the day the Tamblyns were due to transport the cat family to the charity, tragedy struck. “My youngest son found she had been killed on the road that goes past our house,” Jane explained. “We buried her in the apple orchard with our other family pets. We all loved that cat, and hoped to have her back once the kittens were old enough.”

The Tamblyns took the three orphaned kittens to the centre, but a few days later, a fourth kitten arrived crying at their back door. “We couldn’t believe how brave he must have been and that he had the instinct to survive and find us,” said Jane.

The kitten was reunited with the rest of his litter. Now around seven weeks old, Badger, Squirrel, Rabbit and Fox all are eating solid food, have received a vet check which showed them to be in excellent health, and are being socialised with the life-skills their mother would have taught them.

The centre refers to them affectionately as The Wildlife Kittens. Ciaran Brookes-Whyte, Rehoming and Welfare Assistant at the centre, says: “How Squirrel found his way is a mystery. Perhaps he was able to trace his mother’s scent, because she would have created quite a strong scent profile going back and forth, but we really cannot be sure.

“Their mother saved them from life as strays struggling for food and shelter, perhaps the greatest gift she could give. She had brought them up beautifully and they are all thriving. We feel extremely proud to be able to continue her amazing work.”

The centre has created a JustGiving appeal for anyone who would like to help contribute towards the kittens’ care costs:

The Wildlife Kittens will be featured on the centre’s website when they are old enough to be adopted. To find out about the work of the centre or other cats in care visit www.cats.org.uk/cornwall.