Rooftop kitten rescued in Ballymena

It’s not known how the forlorn ginger-and-white kitten came to be on the roof of The Cosy Corner Bar on William Street, but volunteers from Cats Protection’s Ballymena Branch worked with a group of local cat lovers, who were mobilised by word-of-mouth and social media, to ensure the kitten was rescued before he became too weak to fight off the opportunistic birds.

The branch stated it was initially called to help by Ashley Rodgers who had become concerned when she heard the kitten’s distressed cries while on her way to work and contacted various people for assistance.

With the help of staff at The Cosy Corner, the Branch volunteers gained access to the roof and coaxed the tiny kitten towards them with food and treats. Once the kitten, who has been named Cosy, was within arm’s reach they were able to place a cage over him and take him to safety.

Cosy is believed to be the son of a feral cat and is only just past the age at which he would have naturally left his mother. He was very cold and suffering from kitten flu which can be deadly to young cats if left untreated.

Branch Co-ordinator Colin said: “We are so relieved to have been able to rescue little Cosy. He is already purring up a storm and very much enjoying the heat-pad provided by his fosterer – he’s an absolute love-bug. We are sure he’s had human kindness shown to him in the past as he was understandably initially scared but has been quick to enjoy the novelty of being stroked and wasn’t at all fearful once we had given him his own warm bed. He’s even tolerating his eye medication very well.

“This was a real group effort – spurred on by community spirit and genuine concern for Cosy. As well as members of the public, we were also in touch with Jane the bar’s proprietor, the local council and police. Everyone was working together to make the rescue happen. We would like to thank all the people who helped us get little Cosy down. Without everyone’s wonderful co-operation, he would still be up there in the cold and almost certainly wouldn’t have survived the night.”

Cosy has already been reserved for adoption and will be going to a new home once he has received veterinary treatment for his kitten flu. Like all Cats Protection cats he will be neutered, vaccinated and up to date with his flea and worm treatments before he goes home.

The Ballymena Branch will also look for Cosy’s mother and any possible siblings to ensure they are healthy and neutered to prevent other future unwanted litters.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the branch to help with Cosy’s care should visit https://bit.ly/HelpLittleCosy. More information about the Ballymena Branch is available at www.cats.org.uk/ballymena and www.facebook.com/ballymenacats

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