A one-week-old kitten who attracted an online following while being reared by Nottingham RSPCA volunteers has died in care.
The kitten, called Rocket, was born on Saturday, November 5, at the charity’s Radcliffe-on-Trent Animal Shelter, but was rejected by his mother.
Staff and volunteers stepped up to feed the ginger feline from bottles and keep him warm, and he quickly gathered a big following on Facebook.
But staff said on Wednesday he had not survived despite their efforts.
A spokeswoman for the shelter said: “We don’t know the reason, it’s one of those things. It’s a single kitten on its own – it’s very sad but just unfortunate.
“It’s happened before that we’ve managed to successfully rear kittens. You just don’t know do you whether each kitten will survive.”
Photos and updates had been posted on the shelter’s Facebook page, and Rocket had received support from the public.
Newborn kittens typically need up to ten feeds every 24 hours and carers, as with babies, need to be with them at all times.
The shelter, on Nottingham Road in the village, cares for abandoned and unwanted animals and finds them new permanent homes.
