Orphaned kittens saved by Royal Navy sailors

The three-week-old kittens had not yet been weaned

Five kittens heard crying for help under a shipping container in Bahrain have been saved by Royal Navy sailors.

Personnel serving at the UK Naval Support Facility, which supports the Portsmouth-based HMS Lancaster, found the three-week-old kittens, which had not been weaned, after their mother died.

Between shifts the sailors took turns to foster, hand-feed, and rear the little cats while searching for a new permanent home for them.

Lt Nathan Boal said: "It was impossible to ignore the desperate cries of five tiny kittens knowing they wouldn't survive one day on their own in the punishing heat."

Temperatures in the Gulf kingdom have approached 40C (104F) in recent weeks.

Lt Boal said: "They were too young even to eat or drink by themselves.

"I witnessed the caring side of our sailors as well as incredible teamwork to save these helpless animals and I'm relieved that our efforts saved them."

Petty Officer Kirsty Scott and Lt Nathan Boal got acquainted with the tiny creatures

Petty Officer Kirsty Scott, who was one of the sailors who became a kitten carer, said: "We knew the mother, whom we fondly named Michelle.

"When we discovered her kittens, we were upset to find she had passed away and they were left to fend for themselves.

"They would come running out crying from the shipping containers at the sight of personnel looking for food. There was no way we could leave them suffering."

The Royal Navy said despite the team's best efforts, one of the litter died, though the rest "came through some difficult hours to thrive – receiving a clean bill of health from a local vet".

The kittens were taken in by sailors after their mother died

A home has since been found for the survivors, though saying goodbye was "emotional – but sweetened by the satisfaction of knowing the litter would have a bright future".