Twoflower was just a few weeks old when he was discovered dumped in a skip in and brought to Calder Vets in Dewsbury. They immediately called Yorkshire Cat Rescue where staff decided to see if recent mum-of-four, Magic would agree to adopt the tiny orphan.

Magic had been handed in at Yorkshire Cat Rescue as a pregnant stray, and gave birth to four kittens on 3 October in the care of Yorkshire Cat Rescue fosterer, Sheila Pepper in Skipton.

Sheila says: “Magic is a natural mum and she was doing a sterling job raising her own kittens so I was fairly optimistic that she would take on another.”

About Twoflower’s narrow escape, Sam Davies, Centre Manager of Yorkshire Cat Rescue, says: “There is no way Twoflower could have ventured or fallen into the skip by himself; sadly it is more likely that he was thrown in on purpose. Luckily for him he has a big voice for a little guy so someone heard him crying, fished him out and took him to the vet.

“We estimated that Twoflower was roughly the same age as Magic’s foursome, three weeks old at the time, and we have previously had great success integrating orphan kittens into other healthy litters, so it made sense to see if Magic would adopt him. Cats are far better at nursing and raising kittens that we humans are so we always prefer that as an option where possible.”

Magic’s own kittens were named after characters in Terry Pratchett’s comic fantasy book series, Discworld: Ponder Sibbons, Mustrum Ridcully, Eskarina and Rincewind. So Sheila decided to dub the newcomer ‘Twoflower’ as part of the gang of characters.

About the initial introduction, Sheila says: “I just showed tiny Twoflower to Magic and she instantly began washing him. I have introduced orphan kittens to nursing mother before, but this one was the fastest. I put him down with her straight away and she quickly guided him to the food bowl and encouraged him to eat. When I went to check on them later that evening, he was feeding from her amongst the other kittens. It was a beautiful sight. We’re just a few days in now and she already treats him like one of her own.”

This isn’t Magic’s first litter. Pregnant at just six months old, she was taken in by a stranger and allowed to give birth inside. But cats come into season remarkably soon after giving birth, and she became pregnant again before her own kittens were fully weaned. Her carer then asked Yorkshire Cat Rescue for help and the charity placed her with Sheila where she can enjoy the outside in an enclosed garden.

She says: “This will most definitely be Magic’s last litter. She has done enough and will be neutered when the kittens are weaned, before they are all put up for adoption. She is such a friendly and remarkable cat; I hope she gets the home she deserves.”

About Twoflower, Sheila says: “He is a real character – into absolutely everything and trotting around as if he owns the place. He always stands in the middle of the plate of food and eats outwards which makes a right mess but it’s adorable all the same. He doesn’t know how lucky he is, but whoever decides to offer him a home will know just how close he came to a fate it doesn’t even bear thinking about.”