"Cutest kitten ever" found on village road

A kitten found alone on a village road may be the cutest ever, according to one of the longest-standing volunteers at a cat charity.

Ann Manners, along with her husband David, has been volunteering for Cats Protection for over 40 years.

She has helped thousands of cats and for the past 15 of those years has used her skill, patience and expertise to hand-rear the youngest kittens.

However, little Muldoon still stopped her in her tracks with his picture-perfect looks and affectionate nature.

Ann said: “Muldoon is white and black with baby-pink ears, nose, lips and paw-pads. But what makes him extra special is that he is not a kitten who was bred to give him the most appealing features; instead, he was most likely part of a litter born to a feral mother in the countryside. From experience, we believe she was moving him and his siblings to safety a few days after giving birth when she was disturbed and had to abandon him.”

“I have seen so many cats and kittens over the years, but this little chap seems almost too perfect. He is advanced for his age and was responsive from the start, even when he first arrived and his eyes and ears were still closed, making him deaf and blind. We've certainly never had a kitten of this age who is so affectionate. He ‘marks’ us with the side of his face and happily rolls over to be tickled. He's just amazing.”

Thankfully sweet-natured Muldoon was saved from the tough life of a rural feral cat by a member of the public as they drove past him lying alone beside a country road in Elworthy.

They took him directly to Deane Veterinary Centre on Wellington New Road in Taunton where he was found to be in good health with no signs of fleas, dehydration or malnutrition and just one tick on his nose.

After being given a thorough vet check and plenty of TLC, the vet practice contacted Cats Protection Taunton & Minehead where Ann and David took on the task of hand-rearing the handsome kitten who will be rehomed when he is old enough.

Ann adds: “He is now very confident, feeds well, sleeps through the night, and is gaining weight rapidly. He had the inevitable diarrhoea that all kittens seem to go through when they transition to commercial kitten milk, but soon recovered.”

“ He really is a gorgeous little cat. Hand-rearing is something I always wanted to do, and I am fortunate to now be in a position to concentrate on all that it demands.”

Cats Protection champions the neutering of owned cats alongside trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programmes for feral cats to help prevent unwanted and feral litters and help reach a balanced cat population.

The UK's leading cat welfare charity was founded in 1927 and helps an average of 156,000 cats and kittens a year through its national network, which includes around 182 volunteer teams and 31 cat centres.