Homeless Valentine’s Day litter of kittens born under moon of love on 14th

Six tiny kittens were born on Valentine’s Day at The Mayhew Animal Home after the mother was found wandering heavily pregnant off busy Harlesden High Street in North West London.


Rescued by The Mayhew’s Animal Welfare Officer, the mother cat –now named Valentine Love –gave birth to six healthy kittens on the 14th to the delight of staff at the Home.

The teeny felines are now being cared for by the Cattery staff and will be looking for new homes in nine weeks time.

In keeping with the theme of love and romance under which they were born, staff at The Mayhew have given each kitten a name meaning love in various languages: Amour (French) Upendo (Swahili) Agapi (Greek) Amore (Italian) Liebe (German) Lyubov (Russian)

Mayhew Animal Welfare Officer, Claire Harper, said: “It is wonderful that this story has such a happy ending and that on the one day of the year where we all have love on our mind, these beautiful kittens were born in to a Cattery decorated with hearts and flowers for the 14th! There is a sad echo to the tale though, as the mother, Valentine Love, was extremely heavily pregnant when I found her and there probably wouldn’t have been such a happy ending had she given birth on the streets. We don’t know if this cat has an owner, but many people do let their cats outside without thinking of the consequences of them being unneutered and how they are contributing to the high numbers of unwanted kittens.”

The Mayhew Animal Home makes sure that all cats, dogs and rabbits re-homed by the charity are neutered before they are adopted. The Mayhew vets will neuter kittens from nine weeks old, so after this age they will be available for adoption.

Anyone interested in adopting any of the Valentine’s Day kittens, should call The Mayhew from the 19th April 2010 on 0208 969 0178

Animal charity staff create valentines al a carte menu for homeless kitties

Mayhew Animal Home provides a feast for their felines on the 14th and asks people to come and adopt their purrrrfect partner!


Instead of the usual work with brooms and buckets, staff from The Mayhew Animal Home are donning chef hats and wielding rolling pins in order to produce a special Valentine’s menu for the cats and kittens awaiting adoption at the rescue centre in Kensal Green.

Whilst waiting for their new owners to arrive at The Mayhew, the lucky felines will be presented with a menu of Kitty Kisses, Fabulous Flirty Fishballs and Sexy Salmon Mousse.

Deputy Animal Care Manager, Caroline Brown, said: “While we ensure all year round that our Mayhew animals get lots of care and affection, we wanted to prepare a special Valentine’s day feast for the cats and kittens and show them some extra love. I have taken tips from top recipes for the al a carte menu and while our kitties will be feasting on Flirty Fishballs, we are encouraging cat lovers to visit the Home and consider adopting their purrrrrfect partner!”