Two cats have been rescued from a house – including one which had been trapped inside for several days – after their owner died.

Wisteria Cat Rescue was called by police to an address in Shorne, after a woman, who had no next of kin or family, was found dead on Monday, May 15.

Volunteer Billy Devitt of Wisteria, a charity based in Medway, duly went and picked up the cat, now named Harold.

But unbeknown to him, there was another pet inside.

He said: “We weren’t allowed into the property so there was no way of seeing if any other cats were left or if there were any meds for him.

“But a few days later I was called by a very distressed neighbour who had seen our van the day we collected Harold, to say there was another cat in the house that was sitting at the window waiting for his mum to come home.

“It was quite late at night so I was wracking my brain on how we would gain access to the property, because it had been made a crime scene.

“As ideal as it sounds to smash windows to get to cats it’s obviously not something we can do.”

With this phone call coming on Friday, May 19, four days on from Harold being rescued, Billy was worried for the welfare of the second cat, with no open windows, and no food or water.

Billy called the police who arranged to meet him at the house when officers would help him get inside.

They met at 6pm the next day, Saturday, May 20, and agreed the only option was for them to break in.

Just at that moment, a man arrived who turned out to be the landlord of the property.

He said he did not have a key as the tenant had lived there for a number of years.

After a long talk, the landlord agreed a glass panel in an inner door could be smashed so they could get in.

Billy even agreed to pay for a replacement panel if it meant he could get the cat to safety.

“They have aided me to save this boy from an awful death and I am beyond grateful”

He continued: “It didn’t take long to find this soul that had understandably gone into hiding from the banging.

“I located him behind his mum’s bed. I’ll be honest I shed a tear.

“I appreciate how stretched the local police are but they have aided me to save this boy from an awful death and I am beyond grateful.”

The landlord agreed Billy could lay down some bowls of food which he would check the next day to determine if any other cats were hiding in the property.

Neighbours did not know the names of the cats, so with no information found inside the house Billy gave them new names.

Now called Harold and Ronald, the pair have been checked over and will be in foster care while the rescue centre figures out the next steps.

Billy said: “Now our job is to create them a new identity – all we know about them is what we can visually see.

“I do hope they find comfort in each other. My heart breaks at the week they have had.

“They will never be called their real names again. That saddens me. They’ve not just lost their mum, but their identities.”

The cat rescue centre is urging pet owners to take a few simple precautions in case a similar situation were to ever happen to them.

Billy said: “Leave a note or a picture frame that is easily visible in your home with the animals you currently have and their names, ages, medication, etc, and a contact number for where they will go.

“Have a forward plan for your pets, should that be with friends, family or a registered rescue.”