So we are all used to the story of Lassie finding people stuck down a Well. Well, in this instance Lassie came in the form of a builder, who earlier this week, whilst on site, found four very poorly but adorable feral kittens trapped in a well. Luckily for them this builder lives on the site of an animal sanctuary and was able to take action to help them immediately.

Anthony McDerby recognised the noise of a kitten cry and started to look around the site when he and his co-workers came across four kittens stuck over half a metre down an enclosed well. With their eyes glued shut with infection - these beautiful kittens were filthy dirty.

Anthony boxed them up and immediately brought them into the care of Woodlands Animal Sanctuary. As always the team at Woodlands rallied together to give these kittens the care they so desperately needed - in the form of a bath, treatment for their eyes and a good feed. The difference in these kittens was clear to see just after this care. Alison Speakman, one of the Vets at Rufford Veterinary group, who work very closely with Woodlands has checked the kittens over and is very hopeful for them. In situations like this it can be so crucial for animals that they are able to receive veterinary attention so soon after admittance.


These kittens are far too small to be without their mum so will need to be fed at two hourly intervals from 6am until midnight. This as you can imagine is no small task and requires a lot of dedication, not to mention time. Woodlands are very grateful to their volunteers, who in situations like this, put their life on hold to provide hope of a healthy life to these vulnerable animals. When these kittens are old enough they will be rehomed directly from the shelter.

Unfortunately, within 24 hours of rescue one of the kittens, the smallest and most lethargic, needed to be rushed to the vets because they had taken a turn for the worst. Situations like this take their toll on the whole team, not least with our volunteers who have been painstakingly putting all of their love, time and affection into helping these kittens improve and become stronger. Amanda, one of the Animal Care Managers at Woodlands Animal sanctuary arrived at the Woodlands staff meeting in tears, having just dropped this kitten off at the vets. Investing this much emotion into your job is such a credible and admirable thing to do. The latest from the vet is that the kitten is improving but, is still on a drip and so will stay at the vets for at least another night. It’s brothers and sisters are all doing very well, and the team are really hopeful for them.

Amanda, whose mum is currently providing the lifesaving care these vulnerable kittens need, has said that “they are doing absolutely amazingly and the difference in them, in just these few days has been incredible”. As you can see family really is at the heart of Woodlands Animal sanctuary.

Woodlands Animal Sanctuary could not continue its work if it wasn’t for the very generous support of the great British general public and for this the whole team at the Sanctuary is always grateful. Any money raised and donated goes directly into the sanctuary to go towards the care and running costs of the charity. As you can imagine by this story these costs are not cheap, and, as with the abandonment and neglect of animals, they are never ending.

If you haven’t yet seen the wonderful work that goes on there for yourself yet – then put this Sunday, 25th June in your diary. Woodlands Animal Sanctuary are hosting their very first Wild Western open day, where you can meet all the animals, learn more about the work they do as well as enjoy a bucking bronco, gold hunt and shooting games. To get up to date information about the goings on at Woodlands please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.