Woman nurses kittens after two-day rescue near Basingstoke

Some of the kittens are shy and get overshadowed by those who have bigger personalities, Josie Simpson said

A woman has nursed a litter of nine kittens back to health after rescuing them near a busy road.

Josie Simpson spent two days rounding up the moggies after she saw a social media post about them being spotted by the A34 in Whitchurch near Basingstoke.

She believes they were abandoned rather than feral because they are so comfortable around humans.

They are now 10 weeks old and set to be rehomed, but Ms Simpson admits she will probably keep "the smallest one".

Ms Simpson said it was her "instinct" to go and rescue the cats

"He ended up at the emergency vets, they advised us to put him down because he couldn't walk," she said.

"But I was already attached to him, he was the first one I found and it was love at first sight."

After taking him home and feeding him every three hours, he gradually recovered and is now "just like any other kitten".

Ms Simpson, a self-confessed animal lover, saw a Facebook post last month saying how the kittens were seen in a popular dog-walking spot near the Ardglen Industrial Estate.

Grogu is the smallest of the litter and was almost put down because he could not walk

She said she "didn't even think twice" about rescuing them, adding "they're really tiny kittens, they're not going to stand a chance".

Using the bait of an opened tin of cat food, Ms Simpson said the kittens soon started appearing out of the long grass.

On the first day, she discovered four felines who were "ravenous for food" which she took home.

The kittens sleep in Ms Simpson's kitchen and she keeps an eye on them with a pet camera

But the next day more had been spotted, and when she went back, she found a further five.

One of them, who was particularly difficult to catch, was later named Houdini.

"I picked them up and there was no hissing, no spitting," she added.

Ms Simpson admits she will be "in a period of mourning" when they are rehomed.

Ms Simpson's house is an animal lover's paradise, with dogs, cats, a bearded dragon and a python

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