Landfill kitten has landed on her feet

Gracie the kitten, who has now been renamed Pepper, was rescued from a closed landfill site in North Wales in July by HGV driver Paul Gibbons.

The Golborne driver found the little moggy in a shoebox after she was left alone, cold, hungry and suffering from an eye infection.

Pepper, who would have otherwise died at the closed site, quickly took to Paul who put her into the cab of his lorry where he phoned Cats Protection Atherton and Wigan centre for advice.

The grateful kitten soon took a shine to her hero and refused to leave his shoulder. She then slept on the dashboard in the cab as the pair made their way back to the borough.

Shortly after, Paul decided he wanted to adopt Pepper, after she had spent some time at the rescue centre being brought back to full health.

This week, Cats Protection Atherton and Wigan has revealed that Pepper is settling into her new home alongside Paul’s pets

The charity posted pictures to Facebook showing Pepper with Paul and with Paul’s two Shar Pei dogs.

A spokesperson at Cats Protection Atherton and Wigan said: “She has grown from the tiny kitten in the first photo to a beautiful young lady.

“Paul has two Shar Pei dogs, and Pepper was a bit wary of them at first, but that didn’t last long and she soon settled down and cuddled up with them.

“She is an important part of the clan now. We are sure she will be getting spoiled for her first Christmas. Many thanks to Paul for bringing her to us, and for then offering her a lovely home.”

Although the animal charity has dealt with numerous cases where cats and kittens have been abandoned in boxes, Pepper was the first cat they have cared for to have been abandoned at a landfill site.

On adopting Pepper, Paul said that he had plans to “spoil her rotten”.

The charity suggests that anyone adopting a cat should give them time to settle in without too much interference.

Cats Protection advises: “Although you may feel like stroking and cuddling puss, remember that they don’t know you yet, and have found themselves in a strange and scary place. Please give your cat a chance and be patient, don’t panic and feel that the cat isn’t right for you after all.

"By choosing to adopt a rescue cat you are doing a wonderful thing. You are giving an abandoned, stray animal the chance of a new, happy life which is what every single one of our rescue cats deserve.”

For more information visit www.athertonwigan.cats.org.uk .