Dutch kittens found in car bonnet saved from being 'euthanised'

A crowdfunding page has been set up to home Edam, Gouda and Tulip

Three Dutch stowaway kittens, found in the bonnet of a car in Berkshire, have been saved from being put down.

The trio - named Edam, Gouda and Tulip - had travelled 311-miles from the Dutch city of Eindhoven to Bracknell.

A cat charity that took them in set up a crowdfunding page after being told to stump up £3,000 for their quarantine fees or have the cats "euthanised".

Within days the public had donated more than £4,000, which the charity said was "absolutely fantastic".

'Lot of meowing'

Christian Lampkin and his family, from Ashford in Kent, drove home from their holiday in The Netherlands, unaware the six-week-old cats were hidden inside the vehicle.

"Two days after we got back, I returned from golf and there was a lot of meowing," he said.

"I had a look under the bonnet, there were two cats there, but they shot back into the engine."

When he called a mechanic to retrieve the cats from the car, they found a third kitten hiding inside.

They made the discovery while visiting relatives in Bracknell.

The kittens were found by a car mechanic

The nearby Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre (DBARC) accepted the tiny charges but were told by the Berkshire Trading Standards authorities involved with illegally imported animals that unless someone paid the £3,000 quarantine costs for the kittens, the stowaways would have to be put to sleep.

DBARC set up a crowdfunding page to help raise the money to cover the cost of saving the kittens, and within days the target was met and surpassed.

Donna Penfold from DBARC said: "All of us are over the moon, we've been watching that total climb and now we can say 'wow, we're there!'.

"Thanks to all the people who cared enough to help out these little guys".

Mr Lampkin called the donation success "fantastic" and said he had sent round the crowdfunding page to all 300 staff members in his office who "were donating all afternoon".

The extra money raised will go towards vaccinations, obligatory pet passports and play toys for the kittens, who will need to stay in quarantine kennels for two months.