When staff at a Somerset landfill discovered four terrified kittens trapped in a house high woodpile surrounded by deadly hazards, they called Rebecca Dawson from Cats Protection Yeovil, who armed herself with kippers and a brilliant rescue plan. The tiny black and white kittens were malnourished, weighing just 300 grams instead of the healthy weight for their age, and were riddled with fleas and worms after weeks of surviving alone in the dangerous waste management site. Rebecca played recordings of kitten meows from behind a large tire while scattering kippers to lure them away from a nearby water treatment pool, and the bravest of the four, a small mainly white boy now named Jack, emerged as the unlikely leader of the group.
In a moment that left rescuers breathless, Jack led his three siblings into the trap but valiantly ran back out to let them eat while he kept watch, acting like their protector despite being no more than a baby himself. Rebecca held her breath and played the recording again, and Jack’s siblings’ meows brought him back to check they were all safe before finally joining them inside for food. After two weeks of specialist care and plenty of love, feisty little Jack who had crashed from exhaustion after finally relaxing is now a lively, healthy kitten. All four named Jack, Jill, Skip and Marley now spend their days playing together and making mischief, their dangerous days at the landfill behind them as they wait for their forever homes where they’ll bring joy to families who will never know just how brave these tiny survivors really are.
