Rescued from the streets, these cute little kittens have been given a second chance, thanks to tender loving care and round-the-clock bottle feeding.

Eastern Daily Press: Two seven-week-old male kittens, rejected by their sick mother at the Hallswood sanctuary, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYTwo seven-week-old male kittens, rejected by their sick mother at the Hallswood sanctuary, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

The six kittens, four of them just three weeks old and two of them six weeks old, were taken in by Stratton Strawless-based Hallswood Animal Sanctuary.

Bosses at the wildlife sanctuary, which only takes domestic animals in cases where they cannot go to rehoming centres, believe the mothers of the kittens had died.

But they found a substitute in Norwich 'kitten mum' Shona, who has hand-reared them, waking up through the night to bottle feed them every few hours.

She said: 'I've been doing this with kittens now for six years and I've lost count of how many kittens I've hand-reared. I absolutely love them.

Eastern Daily Press: Two seven-week-old male kittens, rejected by their sick mother at the Hallswood sanctuary, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYTwo seven-week-old male kittens, rejected by their sick mother at the Hallswood sanctuary, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

'It's not easy - at first you're feeding them every hour or two and that includes through the night. It's also hard when some of them don't make it. But I couldn't not do it and just let them die.'

New homes are being sought for the now vaccinated kittens. Home checks are carried out before Hallswood will allow them to be rehomed.

But it is not just kittens looking for new homes.

Lyz Hall, of Hallswood, said the sanctuary has recently had an influx of injured feral cats.

Eastern Daily Press: Two seven-week-old male kittens, rejected by their sick mother at the Hallswood sanctuary, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYTwo seven-week-old male kittens, rejected by their sick mother at the Hallswood sanctuary, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

She said: 'We have had a massive amount of injured cats come in recently. With it being breeding season, the cats get territorial and some of them are getting hurt.

'People say these cats are feral, but, often what it really means is that they are not housetrained.

'People find, if they take them on and give them some care, they come round to being really nice pets.'

Mrs Hall said the vet bills, inoculations and food to help the animals is putting a strain on their finances and urged cat owners to get pets neutered.

Eastern Daily Press: Two seven-week-old male kittens, rejected by their sick mother at the Hallswood sanctuary, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYTwo seven-week-old male kittens, rejected by their sick mother at the Hallswood sanctuary, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

As well as appealing for homes for the animals, she also asked people to consider making a donation to the sanctuary.

Mrs Hall said: 'We have been neutering them and vaccinating them, but that's costing £100 a time.

'If people would consider helping us with even just 50p donations that adds up and would really help us.'

Hallswood can be contacted on 01603 927465 or via www.hallswood.co.uk

Eastern Daily Press: Four four-week-old male kittens, abandoned by their mother who is presumed dead, who are now being handreared by Shona, and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old by Hallswood sanctuary. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYFour four-week-old male kittens, abandoned by their mother who is presumed dead, who are now being handreared by Shona, and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old by Hallswood sanctuary. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

Eastern Daily Press: Four four-week-old male kittens, abandoned by their mother who is presumed dead, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old by Hallswood sanctuary. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYFour four-week-old male kittens, abandoned by their mother who is presumed dead, who are now being handreared and will be available for rehoming after they are 12-weeks-old by Hallswood sanctuary. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)