Cat nap takes a litter of stowaway kittens on a wild journey

These five little kittens were found in a tyre after a transport adventure across Adelaide suburbs – and the little orphans are getting some extra help.

Five newborn kittens survived an arduous journey in a shipping container from Port Adelaide to Lonsdale before they were found huddled inside a car tyre as it was being unloaded.

Sadly, a sixth kitten died just after the litter was discovered on Wednesday.

The container had been transported by truck to the Tyrecycle recycling centre, where the kittens were found by worker David Causer as the cargo was being unloaded.

“I looked inside this tyre and saw a big ball of fluff … then I saw it move,” Mr Causer said.

“I took my hat off and took them out one by one … then took them into the lunch room to cool down.”

Mr Causer’s wife contacted their stablehand Bianca Payne, who also works as a volunteer for the RSPCA, which is located on the same road.

“They were two or three days old at the most – they still had their umbilical cords,” Ms Payne said.

The truck had picked up tyres from various businesses before transporting them to Lonsdale.

“They would have stopped at lots of different places in Port Adelaide, which is why the mother will never be found,” Ms Payne said.

“They’ve all been named after tyres – Dunlop, Bob Jane, Bridgestone, etc – but they can be renamed by their new owners in the future.”

This tiny kitten survived inside a car tyre as it was unloaded from a shipping container that had travelled from Port Adelaide to a tyre recycling depot at Lonsdale. Picture: RSPCA

The kittens were found by worker David Causer – he rescued them in his hat and took them inside to cool down. Picture: RSPCA

The surviving kittens will need weeks of round-the-clock care before they are ready for new homes.

Ms Payne, who lives in nearby Woodcroft, said it was a miracle that five of the kittens survived the journey, “especially because it was quite a hot day”.

“I’m a volunteer carer for the RSPCA and I do the neo-natal kittens. While they are this little they need feeding every two to three hours, and they need to be toileted as well.”

They are among more than 750 cats and kittens currently being cared for by the RSPCA in SA, after what it described as a huge breeding season.

Most of the vulnerable kittens are in volunteers’ foster homes, with food, bedding, enrichment toys, medications and vet care supplied by the RSPCA.

An RSPCA spokeman said these expenses quickly stacked up into thousands of dollars, and as a community-funded charity it needed public support to continue its work.

The organisation’s Foster Friend program helps cover the cost of care for a homeless animal until they are ready for adoption.

A donation of $31 can buy a one-week supply of milk replacement formula for a litter of neonatal kittens, like these rescued stowaways.

Donate at bit.ly/stowaway-kittens

RSPCA volunteer, and foster & neonatal carer Bianca Payne with the kittens – they will need care for 8–10 weeks until they can survive on their own. Picture: Keryn Stevens