Two engineers from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) who rescued a cat and her four kittens from a Southampton substation earlier this summer are delighted that their owner has now been traced and reunited with their furry friends.
Garry Black and Terry Amor, who both work as Low Voltage Fitters for the distribution operator, were preparing the site in the St Mary’s area of Southampton for the installation of LV monitoring equipment when they discovered the female cat and her four kittens, tucked safely under the protection cover of the electrical cabinet.
SSEN fitter, Garry Black explains further:
“We work across all different areas in central southern England, so sometimes we’ll see birds and smaller animals around the substations as the equipment can provide them some warmth during winter months, but we didn’t expect to find five healthy felines when we removed the cabinet cover.
“We think the mother cat must have squeezed into the cabinet through the small ventilation gap on the bottom of the cabinet door before she had the kittens, as it would have been difficult for her to have come in and out of the small space carrying each one after they were born.
“The mother and kittens were very calm, so after making sure that all were safe and in no danger of coming in to contact with electrical equipment we called Cats Protection, who were with us in half an hour.”
The mother, a grey-blue British Shorthair, and four kittens were taken immediately to Cats Protection’s Southampton Branch. The two male and two female kittens were believed to be no more than a couple of weeks old, but all were in good health.
The branch searched social media and made enquiries around the local area but, with no evidence of a microchip, believed the cat to be a stray. It wasn’t until the mother was scanned again for a microchip at the vet a few weeks later that it was discovered she was a rare cat and that the chip had moved away from the usual area behind her head.
The branch’s welfare team leader, Steve Ridd said:
“It’s extremely unusual for a microchip to move but luckily once we had the details, we were able to contact the owners and discovered their cat Bella had disappeared in May.
“They were delighted to have their cat back but had recently got another kitten because they believed Bella had gone forever and so asked us to rehome her kittens. Now ten weeks old, they have had their first vaccinations and have all been found new homes.”
Grey kitten, Miloš and his black-and-white brother, Luka were among the first to reach their new home and both are settling in well.
Terry Amor, fitter for SSEN added:
“It’s great to see that Bella has now been returned home and that her kittens have found their fur-ever families.
“Garry and I knew as soon as we saw her that we had to do the best for her and her kittens, and it’s through Cat Protection’s perseverance in tracking the owner that we now have a happy ending for all.
“Substations can be dangerous places and are well secured to prevent access – deliberate or accidental – so we’re delighted to know that all five of our rescued felines are in good health, unharmed and that the kittens can now start their next adventure with their new owners.”
SSEN would like to stress the importance of never attempting to access substations or electrical equipment. Customers are advised to call the emergency freephone 105 number to report any damage to the network, or issues they see in relation to access, so engineers can attend at the earliest possible opportunity.
Further information on keeping safe near electricity networks can be found here - Keeping safe - SSEN
For more information about Cats Protection’s Southampton Branch visit www.cats.org.uk/southampton or call 02381 661 633
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