Kitten saved from Bedlington recycling centre crusher recovers

Womble was discovered shivering in the bottom of a cardboard box at a recycling centre

A two-week-old kitten saved from a recycling centre crusher has made a full recovery.

Jason Henderson, who works at the Remondis Recycling Centre in Bedlington, Northumberland, heard a cry coming from a cardboard box.

He pulled it out and found the kitten, which was so small it had not opened its eyes, huddled inside.

Charity Cats Protection named him Womble and hopes to have him adopted after caring for him since December.

Mr Henderson's aunt Nicola Henderson, who initially cared for Womble said: "I opened the door to Jason and he said 'you'll never guess what's in this box'.

"It was a complete surprise to see this tiny kitten in there. I could see he was very young, and I instinctively held him close to my chest to keep him warm and he snuggled into my collar bone."

It is unclear how the kitten ended up at the recycling centre.

Womble has grown into a healthy 4-month-old after months of round-the-clock attention

Womble was handed over to Sascha Dean, the East Northumberland Branch coordinator of Cats Protection and she hand-reared him.

She said: "The first few weeks were a very worrying time for all the volunteers here, and we didn't know if Womble would make it.

"Fortunately, he got stronger and from that day in December when he was a shivering bundle of fur he has now grown into a 15-week-old healthy but mischievous boy."

Womble will be soon placed for adoption, and the charity says the case illustrates the importance of getting cats neutered.

Ms Dean said: "Kittens that are too young to be away from their mothers can go downhill quickly and these problems are largely preventable. If people got their cats neutered it would not be so common."