The extraordinary story of how a 2 week old kitten was found in the middle of the M27!
Richard Tubbs, 44, a lorry driver with Mobile Mini, explains how he found the baby kitten
'I was driving my large Hiab lorry, along the M27 back to the Mobile Mini yard at Marchwood. It was one of those days of intense downpours every 5 minutes and the traffic was stop start as I neared the Hedge End turn off. I was in the centre lane and as a silver car in front of me moved forward, I noticed a little black thing on the tarmac. The silver car had been sitting in the traffic over it.
I released my brakes and was about to follow suit, when I thought I saw it move. I adore all animals and I couldn't bear to think of something suffering, so I stopped, put on all my hazard warning lights and climbed down from the cab to see what it was. To my utter amazement it was the smallest, baby kitten you have ever seen just lying in the centre of the M27!. I had no idea how on earth it got there but I just picked it up and it fitted neatly into the palm of my hand.
I wrapped it in my work fleece to try and keep it warm because it's legs and body were wet from lying on the motorway surface. As I drove back to the yard, I stroked it's little head with my finger and although it sounds strange, I talked to it to try and reassure the little thing, that everything would be alright.
When I arrived at the yard, Emma Courtney, the Office Manager took charge and whizzed the little mite down to the vets at Seadown. It's possible she had been taken by a bird and dropped, the other possibility that she was abandoned by someone, doesn't bear thinking about.'
Amanda Holyoake, RVN at Seadown takes up the story
'It was about 2 weeks ago that this tiny, black long haired kitten was brought into the hospital at Hythe. Since that time we have been giving her all the care and love we can. For the first week we were feeding her every 2-3 hours with baby cat milk, but now she's eating weaning meat with some milk mixed in and has most of her baby teeth through. It's meant getting up very early and regularly checking and taking care of her but she's so adorable, such a little character and getting more playful every day. We've called her Monica Zoom Zoom and she's about 4 weeks now. We are so thrilled that she is doing well and all absolutely adore her so we are not surprised that one of our equine vets, Laura Trigg, has fallen for her too and that she and her young family are going to adopt her.
It was a truly compassionate act by a very kind man to stop his lorry to save this little kitten and it does the heart good to know that there are people like Richard in the world. Everyone at Seadown can't thank him enough for giving little Monica a chance at life'.
Richard finishes the story:
'Amanda and all the nurses at Seadown have been amazing. It must have been fate that the little kitten appeared on the road in front of my lorry because there is no way, I could have ignored her. She's clearly used up one of her nine lives already! I am over the moon that Monica will have a forever home with a young family and that her little life and extraordinary story, will have a very happy ending'.