Northampton vets step in after kittens discovered in lorry from Portugal

Two stowaway kittens found after a three-day lorry journey across Europe are set to be given a new home after receiving vital veterinary care in Northamptonshire.

The pair, which have now been named Mango and Smudge, were four weeks old when they were discovered in a transport pallet that had been brought to the UK from Portugal.

They are in quarantine, where they are expected to stay for several more weeks after initial treatment at Spinney Vets in Northampton.

Despite being weak, hungry and dehydrated, both kittens were found to be clinically healthy and began to recover after being given fluids.

But practice administrator Lauren Walker said that wasn’t the only challenge the intrepid duo posed.

Isolated

Ms Walker said: “It was extremely important to keep them completely isolated, too, as they had come into the UK without any vaccines, and Portugal has some diseases we haven’t seen in this country for a very long time.

“The kittens were placed in our oxygen chamber with designated staff contact and strict PPE and cleaning measures to completely minimise any risks.

“We then had to notify the relevant authorities about our little stowaways as we had what were classed as ‘undocumented animals’ under our care and needed to find out the exact protocols and laws surrounding this.”

Following talks with Defra and the local council, the duo was placed into quarantine in Essex, where they are due to remain until mid-October.

They are then set to be rehomed with one of the workers at the warehouse where they were found.