Kittens rescued in sardine-soaked Waltham Abbey drain drama

The two little brothers dropped into a tiny drain and were not easy to rescue

The enticing smell of tinned sardines proved key to luring two tiny four-week-old kittens from a labyrinth of drains where they had been trapped for two days.

The kittens were born to a stray at a salad farm in Waltham Abbey, Essex.

Volunteers from a rescue charity were called to take in the mum and her three kittens on Saturday, but two escaped.

Working with firefighters, they eventually coaxed them to climb up some netting soaked in sardine juice.

The stray had been fed by staff at the commercial nursery, but after she produced three kittens they called on nearby charity The Scratching Post to take them in.

The mother and one kitten were safely trapped on Saturday, but the two little black brothers had disappeared.

By Sunday their "plaintive cries" could be heard after they managed to get into a tiny drain hole that led to miles of pipework below the greenhouses, Sue Lewis, from the charity, said.

A net covered in juice from a tin of sardines was lowered into the drain to entice the kittens

Essex fire service station manager Toby Ingham, together with charity volunteers, set up a "kitten-focussed plan using netting and two small traps with food near the ends of the pipes".

At one point volunteers played a tape of a mother cat calling to her young and took the kittens' real mum back in a cage, but it did not entice them.

The mother cat and one kitten were safely trapped, but two others escaped

Eventually, the smell of sardines did the trick.

"We basically soaked a net in juice from a sardine tin, wedged one end under something heavy and then fed the sardine-smelling netting through the drains," said Ms Lewis.

On Monday morning, the kittens emerged, having climbed up the fishy netting.

"It was an absolute miracle they managed to do that," Ms Lewis said.

"They are so tiny, no bigger than the palm of your hand. They'd been without mum's milk for 48 hours and we really thought they were going to die - it was heart-breaking to hear their cries."

The family is currently with a foster carer

All three kittens have been reunited with their mother and are living with a foster carer from the charity.

It is hoped the cat and kittens can be rehomed, but for now, the charity plans to name one of the kittens Toby after their fire service rescuer.

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