Newborn kittens rescued from motorcycle after car ride, now foster family steps into the breach: “Very intensive work” (Domestic)

A passerby noticed meowing in Ypres Maloulaan on Wednesday afternoon, but there was no cat to be seen. The sound turned out to come from a car parked there. The Westhoek fire brigade was called to track down and free the animal, but that was not easy. “We immediately started inspecting the vehicle,” says Kristof Louagie, spokesperson for the Westhoek Fire Department. “One or more kitties were located at the bottom of the engine compartment. Initially we looked up the owner of the car through the police, so that we did not have to break open the hood. When opening the hood section, it turned out that we couldn’t get to the animals because the engine was completely in the way.”

Two kittens died

Firefighters used air cushions to fully lift the vehicle. “This way we could work towards the kittens from the bottom. The intervention was quite challenging, because we had to proceed carefully so as not to damage the car. At the same time, we had to prevent the animals from crawling further into the engine block. Ultimately we found four kittens, two of which had died after the previous drive from Zillebeke to Ypres. Presumably a mother cat placed her kittens in the bottom of the engine to keep them warm, somewhere in Zillebeke with the owner of the car. The two living kittens were transferred to the Ypres animal shelter for further care.” (Read more below the photo)

The kittens turned out to be newly born, because the umbilical cord had not yet completely dried. The red animal weighs 100 grams, the dark one barely 90 grams. “We immediately placed them in a foster family, so that they are cared for and socialized 24 hours a day. There they also run less risk of contracting viral infections,” says Guy Werquin, veterinarian at the shelter.

Childcare family

A foster family from Menen takes care of the animals. “Now the kittens need warmth, rest and porridge: every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night,” says Magda Aerbeydt, supervisor of foster families at the shelter. “The foster family must also stimulate bowel movements after the porridge by massaging the abdomen and anus. After 2 weeks, the night feeding largely disappears and they drink every 3 hours during the day and every 5 hours at night. The weight must be monitored closely and increase steadily. After 4 weeks they start to eat independently.” (Read more below the photo)

“The little ones are drinking very well, which is fantastic news. During their stay with the foster family that chooses the names, the kittens are made ready for adoption with a first vaccine and chip at a weight of 800 grams, and sterilization or castration from 1 kilogram.”

Respect

The foster family in question prefers to remain in the background, but Magda praises their efforts. “Because this work is very intensive, especially caring for ‘baby bottles’. Foster families are volunteers and do everything for free, purely out of love for the animals. The shelter ensures that they are not saddled with any expenses for the vet, food and other costs. We hold them in high regard, they deserve a lot of respect. Sometimes we receive 10 kittens in 1 afternoon. Additional volunteers are more than welcome. It is also enjoyable work: you always have kittens in their nicest and most playful phase of life. If you can raise them from an early age, they are very affectionate: bottle-feeders really see their foster family as their ‘mommy’. Then it is sometimes difficult to say goodbye. But if you know they will end up well, they will succeed.”

Want to become a volunteer at the shelter? [email protected]