Volunteers at the New Start Cat Rescue in Newent are appealing for donations to help towards the vet bills for five tiny kittens, who may soon go blind.

The kittens were brought into the rescue about a week ago. All five kittens have sight problems, and some have gone completely blind.

Jackie Bahooshy, the charity’s coordinator told the Ross Gazette that when the kittens were brought into the centre, they were in a really bad state. Three were very tiny, as they couldn’t see anything, as they had not been able to find their mum to feed from her.

The kittens were all weakened from the lack of food or care, and this made them susceptible to infection.

When they came to the centre, volunteers soon discovered that the kittens had never been handled and were almost feral.

Two of these kittens have completely lost their sight permanently, and will need their eyes removed when they are around six months old.

However, the volunteers at New Start Cat Rescue are hoping they will be able to save the sight of some of the kittens, but all of them need a great deal of veterinary care, and this comes at a high financial cost.

The kittens were born on a farm. The volunteers at the centre believed that the mum had not been vaccinated or spayed. They have not yet caught the mother cat, and the kittens are currently being nursed by another cat who had been living with them. and she has taken on the role of their foster mum.

Jackie said that since the kittens arrived at the New Start Cat Rescue, they are now so much better; they are being fed by their volunteers, and they are on antibiotics, and eye cream is applied to all the cats, three times each day.

The kittens are approximately four weeks old. Jackie added that they all seem happy now, and they play with each other, just like you would expect from any other kittens.

“We will find homes for them,” Jackie told the Gazette. “They can have a real quality of life with the right person.”

Caring for the kittens does come at a high cost to the charity, so they are appealing for donations. To help, please visit www.gofundme.com/2rtpw8a4.