Two kittens have been named Smurf and Shrek by staff at a cat rescue centre – after they were found cruelly “coloured in” with marker pens.
The black-and-white feline pair had been defaced by callous yobs with blue and green pens when they were found by police and taken to Bradford Cat Watch Rescue Centre (BCWR), West Yorks.
Staff at the rescue centre immediately took them to a vets as they were unsure the level of damage the toxic pans could have caused – as cats lick their fur to clean themselves.
According to workers, the kittens are only about four to five weeks old and are very poorly.
Since their arrival on Monday (yest), staff at the centre have been giving the pair lots of baths to slowly try and remove the ink from their fur. They are also having bottles of milk to build up their strength.
An appeal has now been put out by BCWR to help fund the work they carry out.
Katie Jane Lloyd, from the sanctuary, said: “Here at BCWR Kittens we often consider ourselves to be unshockable, we have dealt with most situations but this is a first.
“The police arrived earlier with these two kittens who I can only describe as 4 to 5 week old who have been ‘coloured in’ most probably with a permanent marker.
“Thus is a dreadful act of cruelty and who knows what untelling damage this may have caused.
“We have sought veterinary advice and I have just contacted the poisons unit to ascertain what would be safe to use on them to try to remove the ink.
“The kitties are now going for a bath”.
The sanctuary are now appealing for help with the funds to care for the kittens.
The owner of Bradford Cat Watch Rescue Kittens (BCWRK) has revealed that this cruel incident of colouring-in kittens isn’t a one-off – and there is a “barbaric” sport in which kittens are colour-coded before being thrown to a pack of savage dogs.
They are coloured-in or dyed so punters – who bet on their chosen animal – know which animal has been killed first.
Katie Lloyd, 37, said: “This is not just a couple of idiots colouring in kittens. This is serious barbaric cruelty.
“If these kittens were not rescued I am sure they would have been dead within an hour of two.”
The kittens were rescued by police from a property in Bradford.
Ex-paediatric nurse Katie, who has run her kitten rescue centre for 10 years, received a call about the male kittens at 9pm on Monday (yest).
She said they were in a terrible state, they were shell-shocked, lethargic and had breathing difficulties.
Smurf’s skin was agitated by the marker pens and he was itching severely.
Luckily, these adorable kittens ended up in much more caring hands – Katie houses around 80 cats and kittens at her care centre at any given time.
She said: “We whipped them straight to the vets. They are on medication and have eye drops, we are also bathing them in a special solution.
“So far they have had three baths overnight and one this morning (Tues). The colour is starting to come off their bodies, but is still on their faces and in their eyes.
“They are still quite poorly but are slowly getting better. We are giving them lots of care.”
The BCWRK has rescued around 5,000 cats and kittens in its 10 year history.
If you wish to donate, please do so by using the following bank details:
Sort code 77/71/62
Acct no 15692060
