A kitten who weighed less than a bar of soap when he was found abandoned on a dirt track has made a remarkable recovery thanks to a local charity.
Wallace weighed just 115g when he was found in Brancepeth, County Durham, and taken into the care of Cats Protection Teesside.
Wallace (Image: Cats Protection)
The days-old kitten needed round-the-clock care and was placed with experienced volunteer fosterer Gemma, who has hand-reared vulnerable kittens for more than 15 years.
After four weeks of bottle feeds every two hours, day and night, Wallace has more than quadrupled his weight.
Gemma said: "We don't know how Wallace came to be out on the road all alone, maybe he was the runt of the litter and mum didn't think he would make it.
"Had he been out there much longer he would almost certainly have died."
She added: "Hand-rearing kittens can be incredibly tiring and emotional; they are so vulnerable. It's been a joy to watch him grow stronger and develop into a happy little kitten.
"Now six weeks old, he's hitting all his milestones.
"He is already litter trained, so I've no doubt he will make someone a lovely pet when he's ready to be adopted."
Wallace (Image: Cats Protection)
When Wallace first arrived in care, he was kept warm in an incubator donated by a Cats Protection supporter.
The incubator was vital in his first days, providing the warmth he would usually have received from his mother.
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Cats Protection branch co-ordinator Marie Hay said the incubator had helped save countless motherless kittens in care.
She said: "We are an entirely volunteer-led team and without the support we receive from cat lovers in Stockton-on-Tees we would struggle to cover the costs involved in hand-rearing kittens."
Now six weeks old, Wallace is thriving in foster care and preparing for a permanent home.
Anyone wishing to support Cats Protection can do so via its Amazon wishlist.