A pregnant cat abandoned outside an animal welfare charity was only found by chance after she crawled inside the bumper of a van.

Harrow Cats Protection Centre manager Anjelica McLeod was walking past the loading bay outside the Tudor Road centre when she noticed a lead and rope tied to a nearby post.

The rope led underneath an electric van, where Anjelica found a young female cat hiding inside the bumper.

The distressed animal responded to people, but could not be coaxed out until part of the bumper was opened up an hour later.

Anjelica said: “At the time, I didn’t know how long Electra had been tied up and under the van for, or what condition she would be in. I just knew I needed to act right there and then."

When the team checked CCTV, they realised the moggy - named Electra - had been hiding under the van for more than ten hours.

And when she was examined, staff found she was pregnant.

Once Electra was safely inside the centre, Cats Protection were on a countdown to a find a volunteer fosterer to take her on, as the Harrow centre does not have maternity facilities and relies solely on volunteer fosterers to help care for cats who are expecting kittens.

Thankfully, Anjelica was able to find her a fosterer with space who could help and give Electra the care she needed.

And once her kittens were weaned, Cats Protection had her microchipped, neutered and vaccinated.

Anjelica added: “It’s sad to know that someone had felt that leaving her tied to that post in the early hours of the morning, in the hope that someone would find her, was their only option.

“While we can’t take all cats in that show up at our door, we will always try and help in any way that we can”.

Last year, Cats Protection helped 184,000 cats nationwide, and it has paid over £50,000 in veterinary treatment this year alone.

It has just launched its winter appeal and television advert, appealing to the public for support.

Justine Greene, BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6Music newsreader, who provided the voiceover, said: “I was floored by not only the number of cats and kittens that require help every year, but the cost of providing it.

“Cats don’t understand why abandonment happens, but we do – and with your support, we have the power to provide these cats and their owners with the guidance to hopefully prevent more abandonments happening.”

Just £5 would feed a cat for 25 days under Cats Protection’s care, £15 would cover the cost of a worming treatment for three cats and £20 would cover the cost of ten soft fleece blankets.

Visit https://cats.org.uk/abandoned  for more information.