Kittens rescued after being born 25-feet up tree

Firefighters had to be called out after a cat gave birth to kittens up a tree. The RSPCA was contacted after a member of the public spotted a cat and three kittens 25feet up a tree in Littleover near Derby. Trainee inspector Sarah Burrows went to the scene and rang the fire service when she realized they were too high up to reach. Firefighters used ladders to rescue the animals.

The mother cat, who has been named Squirrel, was taken with her three kittens, thought to be a fortnight old, to the RSPCA Derby and District Branch. Another kitten had been found on the ground below the tree around two weeks ago. It was taken by a member of the public to a vet and is now being cared for by a cat rescue charity. It is thought Squirrel would have been going up and down the tree to find food.

Sarah said: “I couldn’t quite believe it when I got the call to say that a cat and her newborn kittens were up in a tree. It didn’t quite ring true. But when I arrived we could just see mum poking her head out of the nook in the tree, it was quite bizarre indeed. She clearly thought this was the best place to keep her kittens safe, but I don’t think she had really thought it through as to how she was going to get them down afterwards!

“I would like to thank the fire service for getting mum and her kittens to safety.” Malcolm Hall, customer care manager at the RSPCA centre, said: “This is quite a remarkable story. You hear about them being born in sheds and unusual places, but this is the first I have ever heard of a tree. Squirrel is very friendly so we are hoping that maybe she is owned and that her owner will come forward as a result of this publicity.”