A litter of kittens were found along Inis Mór, the largest Aran Island and taken to the mainland for treatment.
The kittens were found by Galway Cat Rescue as part of a rescue which saw them flown via an Aer Arann flight to vets near Galway City, having landed at Na Minna Airport in Connemara. They are said to be "flying it" having been nursed back to health, according to reports in the Irish Sun.
Speaking about this, Galway Rescue's director of Operations, Olivia O'Reilly said that the kittens were found earlier this week by an islander, who sent the voluntary organisation a message on social media, asking for help.
It was reported that the woman who found the kittens wants to repatriate them to Inis Mór, with O'Reilly saying: "We'd be happy to help".
“She saw them in a grassy ditch beside a stone wall", she said. “There was a bunch of three slightly smaller black and white kittens and one more well-able kitten, a tabby, curled up in a lump in the drizzly rain".
“There was no mother around. Whether they were abandoned is unknown".
The kittens who were cutely named Aran, Aki, Hansen and Dorris after Irish rugby stars, were aged about three weeks old when they were found. But it remains unclear how long they had been in the ditch.
Olivia O'Reilly revealed the kittens flew "first class", as she was worried they would be too dehydrated to wait for the late afternoon ferry to Ros a' Mhil, and then the bus to Galway.
The feline passengers were thankfully not charged to travel up front with the passengers across Galway Bay, which lasted for eight minutes.
“The American tourists on board were enthralled with this escapade and a carrier load of kittens flying over to the mainland", she said. “It was like Vets of the Outback".
After landing, the kittens were taken to Bushypark Vets near Galway city, were they received a full intake protocol, which included treatment for parasites and rehydration.
Ms O'Reilly went on to say that the kittens have been bottle-fed every three to four hours, including overnight at their foster home in Mountbellew in east Co Galway.
She also praised everyone who was involved in this rescue of the kittens, calling them “proactive cat people who wanted to see a happy ending”. (All quotes according to the Irish Sun).
