Happy ending for one-eyed kitten found close to death on a rock thanks to Northampton volunteers

A kitten survived a near-death ordeal to find a loving new home thanks to a Northampton group of cat-loving volunteers and their vet.

Rosie Rags was just over eight weeks old when she was found almost dead with a deeply infected eye and fighting for life near some outbuildings in Potterspury.

Cats Protection’s Northampton branch was called for help and got her to Spinney Veterinary Hospital, where she was kept alive out-of-hours before removing her eye the following morning.

Rosie made a full recovery with her fosterers' support and now 13-weeks-old, she has settled in her new home in Northampton and been renamed Tinkerbell.

Cats Protection’s Northampton Branch education volunteer Diana Johnson said: “Just over a month after she was rescued Rosie Rags, as we called her, had blossomed into a striking kitten with luxurious fur and a zest for life.

"She has now gone to live in a loving home and her journey really showed what a difference dedicated volunteers and first-class veterinary skills can make."

Cats Protection's Northampton branch’s trap-neuter-return volunteer, Brenda, was first to respond to the plea from the member of the public who found Rosie sleeping on a rock in the sun.

The fearful kitten initially ran away weaving beneath nearby vehicles and into ditches and undergrowth.

Brenda noticed Rosie’s damaged eye and realised how extremely poorly the young cat was as she tried to run up a hill but collapsed in exhaustion at the top.

The volunteer slowly approached and was able to collect the tiny, scared blue-grey long-haired kitten and rush her to a fosterer who would take her straight to a vet.

Rosie was only just past the age at which kittens would usually leave their mothers and would not have survived if she had not been found when she was, according to Cats Protection.

Fosterer Teresa Allaway was next to help frail Rosie - with over 10 years’ experience caring for the charity’s cats, she knew it was a race against time to ensure Rosie got the immediate care she needed to save her life.

She arranged for Rosie to visit Spinney Veterinary Hospital on Kettering Road who kept the moggy alive on a Saturday night before the necessary eye operation, which was a success and with strong pain relief and antibiotics.

Spinney Veterinary Hospital veterinary surgeon Susan Atkins added: “Rosie is an incredibly lucky kitten.

"She would not have survived the night if she had not been found and rushed to Spinney Vets by Teresa.

"She required emergency treatment to stabilise her condition before she was strong enough to have the surgery to remove her badly damaged eye.

"We are all so thrilled that she has recovered so well and found a loving home.”

The young cat was nursed back to health, this time by fosterer Paula Francis who was able to provide round-the-clock care.

She nurtured Rosie from the earliest days after her surgery when she hand-fed her chicken to build her strength and appetite, through to reminding her how to be a kitten with play and socialisation once her eye had healed.

Diana added: "We know her life hung by a thread when we first collected her, so to see her playing at her fosterer’s and hear how she’s enjoying life now is both poignant and life-affirming.

"Our little Rosie has been a real-life phoenix rising from the ashes.”

Cats Protection's Northampton branch is always keen to hear from anyone who has skills to share and is interested in volunteering to help local cats like Rosie.

Potential volunteers should enquire initially via the branch’s helpline 0344 700 3251 or email [email protected].

For further information about the branch and cats in its care, visit cats.org.uk/northampton.