Smudge the stranded M18 motorway kitten on road to recovery

Anna Leather, who is caring for Smudge, says the kitten has recovered from the motorway rescue

A kitten which was rescued from the central reservation of a motorway is said to have made a good recovery from its ordeal.

The four-week-old black feline, now called Smudge, was spotted between junctions six and seven on the M18 northbound near Doncaster on Saturday.

Motorway traffic was brought to a standstill while a National Highways officer rescued the young cat.

Anna Leather, who is caring for her, says she improved after a "good bath".

It is thought Smudge had been dumped by the side of the motorway and narrowly escaped being run over as traffic thundered past.

Traffic officer Gavin Buffam, who rescued the cat, said: "The first time I tried to scoop her up she decided she didn't like me and wanted to take my finger off.

"I got a good hiss and nearly a good scratch, so I thought I'd leave her be and retreated back to the hard shoulder."

Concerned drivers on the M18 called emergency services after driving past the stranded kitten

Colleague Andy Binns, who put a rolling road block in place to allow a second rescue attempt, said: "If it's living and breathing we deal with everything the same, whether it's ducklings, badgers, foxes, we treat every animal the same - life is precious."

Ms Leather said: "She looked absolutely awful, full of muck and the parts of debris in her coat were like sandpaper and greasy.

"We gave her a good bath, a good feed and now she can't stop feeding, she's like a pot-bellied pig."