A FAMILY of six feral kittens and their mother have been rescued after being found at a South West Water site in Torquay.

Hector’s House, a cat rescue charity based in South Devon were contacted by South West Water after a severely underweight and malnourished kitten was found at one of its treatment sites.

A worker from the water company provided food and warmth for the kitten until volunteers from Hector’s House were able to collect it, however, workers soon discovered the kitten was not alone.

With help from the South West Water team, the charity spent over a week rescuing a further five kittens and their mother so they could be given vital veterinary treatment and taken to approved foster homes to start their recovery.

Zara Oldfield, founder of Hector’s House, said: 'It is incredibly important to report a found kitten to a suitable local rescue as soon as possible. This is essential to ensure that they are in good health but also to get them neutered and into a home environment as soon as possible.

'Our work has one purpose – to put the welfare of cats first.

'We want to thank the team at South West Water for working with us to get these cats to safety and for doing the right thing by reaching out to a charity such as ours to help save them from the streets.'

The six kittens are all making a good recovery and as a thanks to the South West Water team, they have all been given new names based on Devon reservoirs - Tottiford, Burrator, Kennick, Avon, Meldon and Fernworthy.

For more information about the work Hector’s House does, visit https://www.hectorshousecatrescue.co.uk