They might not have lasted much longer.
Published on Aug 1, 2026 at 4:20 PM
When residents of an apartment building in London heard crying coming from somewhere in the building, they immediately reached out for help. The animal warden at Westminster City Council came to check it out — and discovered the cries were coming from the boiler room.
The warden realized there was a mama cat and her kittens living in the boiler room and was immediately alarmed. The room was 113 degrees Fahrenheit, much too hot for anyone, let alone a tiny family. She braced herself and headed down there, determined to bring the family to safety.
The mama cat, later named Barbie, had hidden herself and her kittens deep behind the boilers. The rescue was a tricky one, but the warden never gave up. Eventually, the entire family was free.
“Although frightened at first, Barbie never stopped caring for her babies,” Amanda Rumball, London Welfare Officer at Blue Cross, told The Dodo. “Once she realized they were safe, she quickly relaxed, remaining the devoted mum.”
Barbie and her kittens were transferred into the care of Blue Cross and immediately began getting the care they needed. Sadly, one of the kittens didn’t make it due to a medical condition. The other two, Malibu and Guinness, seem to be doing well despite everything they’d been through.
Malibu does have a heart murmur, so she’s currently in a foster home until she’s a bit older and can have a scan to determine treatment. Once that’s taken care of, she’ll be able to find her forever home. Guinness has already found his new family, and Barbie has been reserved for adoption.
While living in the boiler room, Barbie did everything she possibly could to keep her kittens safe. Now she wants a place to call home, where she never has to worry about safety ever again