A kitten discovered in Codicote cowering in a heap of fly-tipped rubbish has a new home after being saved by cyclists and vets.
Kathy Bearman was out cycling with friends when she spotted a large pile of discarded rubbish off a road near Codicote.
Appalled by the scale of the rubbish, Kathy stopped to take a photo to report it to the council but was shocked to find a small tortoiseshell kitten trembling within the pile of clothing, toys and plastic bottles.
Wrapping the kitten safely inside one of the women’s jumpers and placing her in a bicycle basket, the group immediately took her to nearby Mimram Veterinary Centre in Welwyn to be checked over.
Veterinary nurse Anna Wright said: “The kitten was only around two weeks old and was very weak.
“If she had been left any longer she wouldn’t have survived.
“Due to the remoteness of the pile of rubbish in the countryside, we believe she must have been abandoned.
“She would have been missing her mother at that age, so we had to carefully nurse her back to health.”
The vets took it in turns to bottle feed her and to take her home overnight and at weekends.
As Kathy grew attached to her, she volunteered to adopt her and has named her Ruby.
Kathy said: “Ruby is a real little fighter and we can’t wait to have her as part of the family.
“When I first saw something dark and furry moving about in the rubbish I presumed it was a rat.
“I couldn’t believe it could be a kitten out there in the heart of the countryside.
“It was a warm day and how she survived I don’t know.
“It is disgusting to think that she could have been dumped there, perhaps deliberately.
“It was a team effort to get her straight to Mimram Vets and the practice team has been brilliant in getting her back to full health.
“I am now the lucky one to give her the life she deserves.”
Ruby will now be living at Kathy’s family home alongside two chihuahuas called Jessie and Milo, a 15-year-old cat called Misty and two degus.
Kathy’s cycling group go out once a week in the countryside and then have tea and a cake.
The flytipped rubbish was reported to Hertfordshire County Council and on investigation no further animals were found and the pile was cleared.
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