An adorable kitten, who was found covered in lice and with his eyes glued shut, is thriving at a cat rescue centre in Bury.
Bear, formerly named Grover, was found wandering the streets in Oswaldtwistle earlier this month.
Emma Church, who volunteers for Little Tinkers, a cat rescue in Blackburn, said he was “in terrible condition” when he was found and he was “covered in lice or mites with his eyes were sealed shut.”
The kitten has since been relocated to Kitty Rescue Bury, a small team of volunteers who are dedicated to helping sick, injured, straying and feral cats.
While there is still a long road to recovery, he is now on the mend and showing his playful side.
A spokesperson for the rescue said: “Bear is doing really well, he has become super energetic and playing lots, which is so lovely to see.
“When he first he came he just slept but now he doesn’t stop running around.
“He is eating and was only a tiny 330g when he came to us. In just under two weeks he has gained more than 400g which is so good .
“He is less snotty and breathing better, although he still gets out of breath.”
Because of his eyes, Bear was taken to an eye specialist who prescribed him medicinal drops.
A rescue spokesperson said: “His right eye is still bad. It's very inflamed, his third eye lid is up and his eye is very cloudy - we don't think he can see well from this eye .
“His left eye is more open, less inflamed less cloudy he can see better from it.
“He still needs to get better but he has made great progress so far.”
Bear isn’t ready to be rehomed yet and still needs to fully recover.
A spokesperson said: “He isn't ready for a home yet, he is only six-weeks-old we don’t let cats go until they are 12 weeks old fully vaccinated, chipped, and flea and worm treated.
“Plus he isn't well yet; we wouldn't let him go until he was fully healthy, but we will probably be looking to rehome him in six weeks.”
The rescue rely on donations from the public to stay afloat and have asked the public to support them if they can.
They said:“If anyone wants to donate towards his care or the other cats we help they can do so via or GoGundMe. Without support we can't help more cats like him.”
From next year, the government is planning to introduce a new law meaning all cats will need to be microchipped, but for now, Kitty Rescue Bury is urging anyone who has a cat to get them neutered to help prevent unwanted litters.
They said: “Due to people not neutering cats we are in a cat crisis so it's crucial people neuter their animals.”
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