Employees at Makro, a wholesale company based in Liverpool, were startled by an unusual scream coming from their cardboard compressor. It was a symphony of tiny meows begging for help, echoing from the depths of the recycling bin. The workers knew something was wrong and took action.
Recently, a cardboard compressor at Liverpool wholesaler Makro started making a strange noise that staff couldn’t place. Deep inside the trash can, small meows called for help. The staff immediately realized there was a problem. The traders immediately contacted the RSPCA and they quickly arrived to help. RSPCA inspector Vicki Brooks saw a small hole at the end of the shipping container with the mother cat’s face sticking out.
Behind her, she heard her mother’s kitten begging for help. The mother cat appears to have entered the container to give birth before being trapped when more cardboard was added. They most likely spent days there without food or water. Company employees dismantled the machine to free the mother cat and her cub, and Brooks joined them to spend hours searching through cardboard boxes for the duo.
In a press release, Brooks said: “This was the most extraordinary rescue I have been involved in in my 21 years with the RSPCA.” I don’t know how those cats managed to live. The huge amount of cardboard was stacked tightly to the ceiling of the container, leaving little room for movement. There was not much air and it was extremely hot.
The mother was definitely trying to take care of her newborn kitten the whole time and it was obvious that she hadn’t been fed for at least a few days. Perhaps they perished in the heat or were crushed by falling cardboard. Even though the mother and son team of rescuers knew the odds were clearly against them, they never gave up. As they tried to get to her, they were able to feed the mother cat through the hole in the container.
They had to stop working and come back the next morning after working all day and into the night. When they did, they saw that while the mother cat had managed to escape and join their advance, her cub was still trapped inside. The rescuers had to go slowly and carefully to get close to the kitten, who was subsequently named Biff, and get him to safety. At the time, his mother had gone missing, but RSPCA rescuers were still searching for her.
In a press release, Joanne Macdonald, an RSPCA inspector who helped with the rescue on day two, said: “We are obviously concerned for his mother and will be working with another charity to try and trap her.” Biff is currently safe in the care of Chip and Kipper, two other abandoned kittens. He’s been through a lot and almost perished, but he never stopped meowing for help and now he’s surrounded by all the love and support he could ever need.
Despite enduring unimaginable hardships and narrowly escaping death, Biff’s spirit never wavered as he continually mewled for help. Now, surrounded by love and support, he has a second chance at life.
The remarkable rescue of a mother and her child, trapped in a cardboard press, is a testament to the unwavering determination and compassion of the individuals involved. Their relentless efforts to save innocent lives remind us of the power of empathy and the incredible bond between humans and animals.