A kind-hearted motorcyclist has saved two tiny lives after coming to the aid of days-old kittens believed to have been dumped at a truck stop on Putty Road.
Vet nurse Lana Babazogli of Kurmond Veterinary Clinic said the man, Graeme Garlick of Faulconbridge, surprised staff when he came into the clinic dressed in full regalia holding one of the kittens on January 23.
“The man came in in his full get up with his helmet still on holding a kitten that he found on Putty Road,” she said. “We stood here saying, ‘that’s an odd sight’.
Mr Garlick had pulled over for a break and saw the kitten wriggling on the hot tar of the truck stop, extremely distressed. He put the kitten in his tank bag, partially zipped it closed, and headed for the vet.
Dr Louise Nutman asked Mr Garlick if he had seen any others in the area, as the kitten was most likely going to have siblings.
“He said, ‘I’ll go back and look’,” Ms Babazogli said. “He went back there and then came back with a second one.”
The second kitten was in a bush garden, and he found no sign of any other kittens or a mother cat.
“We’re pretty sure someone has dumped them,” Ms Babazolgi said. “The mother would not leave them there.”
Dr Nutman believes the two male kittens were between three and five days old when they came in, and still had their umbilical cords attached.
Needing round-the-clock care and feeding, it wasn’t just staff but 13-year-old clinic dog Elka who immediately went into action for the two helpless kittens.
“As soon as he dropped them off, Elka picked up one by the scruff, put them in her bed, and licked them,” Ms Babazogli said. “She does it with every kitten we get.”
There is no doubt Graeme’s kind actions saved the two tiny lives, but the issue of dumped kittens is all too common for the clinic staff at this time of year and served as a timely reminder to get pets desexed.
“Kitten season [spring and summer] is huge,” Ms Babazogli said. “Every year people bring them in and we raise them and find them homes. I have been here five years and have never had them this young.”
Dr Nutman said it was important to desex cats from five or six months of age.
“These are just two of 11 kittens we have had this season,” she said.
The two would be available for adoption when they were between six and eight weeks of age, and would be microchipped, wormed and vaccinated, she said.
The clinic is also planning on conducting a Faceboook campaign to name the pair.
