A TRIO of kittens, living rough with their stray mother in a Hatfield garden, have been rescued thanks to a newly-formed volunteer group, which needs your help.

The Welwyn Hatfield District Branch of Cats Protection was set up by experienced volunteers in response to the “desperate need” for more help for stray and unwanted cats.

And it stepped into action this month when a home owner discovered a domestic short-haired cat and her two-month-old kittens shortly before going on holiday.

Although the new branch is not yet able to take cats into care, welfare officer Glenn Currell responded to the plight by finding a branch able to provide some financial help.

“The cat and kittens were severely dehydrated due to the extreme heat,” said Glenn.

“They were far more interested in drinking bowlfuls of water that we had put down, than the food we had placed in various traps.

“Luckily, we got these kittens just in the nick of time for them to be socialised.

“Kittens that are not handled by the time they are eight to 10 weeks old will be feral and face a bleak future fending for themselves.”

Already the London Colney-based branch has successfully reunited two microchipped cats with their owners and the group has also been out in the area distributing information and actively promoting neutering.

However, before they can take any cats into care and carry out other vital work, the branch needs more resources and is appealing to cat lovers in the area for help.

“It is so frustrating,” said co-ordinator Beverly Crisp.

“There are so many cats and kittens out there needing our help, but there is little we can do until we can raise enough money to get our branch up and running.

“We have been working extremely hard in difficult times to reach our initial goal of �2,000, with our team of volunteers running charity stalls every weekend.”

To re-home these cats, make a donation, become a member of the branch, donate unwanted items or sponsor a cat cabin call 0845 371 1855.