Five tiny kittens have survived illness, eye ulcers and their earliest weeks hidden under a shed to become a bouncing litter of festive cheer. Four boys named Elf, Gnome, Imp and Sprite as well as a girl named Pixie were found under a shed in Helston in Cornwall by a member of the public who cared for the kittens initially. As the situation was complex and the kittens needed specialist care, Cats Protection’s Falmouth, Helston & District Branch was approached for help. The mainly black kittens were around five weeks old when they were taken in by the local branch of the feline welfare charity. Elf weighed 530g, Sprite was 520g, Gnome was 510g, Imp weighed 450g and Pixie was the smallest and sickest at 385g - well under an ideal weight. Pixie and Sprite were noticeably very sick with painful eye ulcers and Pixie already had a ruptured eye which needed to be removed without delay, a risky operation for such a tiny unwell kitten. The kittens are now around 11 weeks old and have been receiving round-the-clock care from their dedicated fosterer who is bathing their eyes and noses and administering antibiotic eye drops four times a day as well as providing oral antibiotics and oral pain relief for Pixie and Sprite. Pixie loves to sleep, while Sprite purrs when he is getting his medication. Gnome is a vocal chatterbox and Elf, true to his name, loves to climb and explore the shelves. Meanwhile, Imp is the responsible member of the group - as he tries to supervise his siblings' treatments.
