From one stray to a whole family: JELD-WEN helps rescue & rehome cats at Retford road site

Doorset manufacturer JELD-WEN has successfully supported the rescue and rehoming of a group of stray cats found at its Retford Road manufacturing site, in partnership with local animal welfare charity Save A Stray

JELD-WEN has successfully supported the rescue of stray cats found at its Retford Road manufacturing site

A local stray cat, affectionately nicknamed “Timber” by employees, quickly became a familiar face at the manufacturing site, with staff ensuring he was fed and cared for every day.

As preparations began for the relocation of manufacturing operations to Bessemer Park, concerns grew about what would happen to Timber once JELD-WEN employees moved. Those concerns intensified in March when a litter of kittens was discovered in containers on site, prompting employees to launch a full-scale rescue mission to help rehome the cats and ensure their long-term safety.

With support from local charity Save A Stray, JELD-WEN discovered that Timber was not the litter’s mother, as initially assumed, but a male cat. The real mother, described by employees as “a stealthy white ninja”, had been hiding the litter around the site and sneaking in for food after Timber had eaten.

Determined to ensure the family’s safety, Save A Stray coordinated stakeouts and even enlisted a specialist equipped with a thermal imaging camera to track the kittens after several days without sightings. JELD-WEN employees also reviewed CCTV footage in an effort to trace where the mother and kittens were hiding.

Thanks to the dedication of employees and rescue volunteers, all of the kittens were eventually found, vaccinated and placed into foster care through Save A Stray, where they are now awaiting rehoming in pairs. Timber has since been neutered, treated for an injured paw, and successfully adopted by a new family.

The kittens have been placed into foster care through Save a Stray

A spokesperson for Save A Stray said: “If JELD-WEN hadn’t taken the time to care for Timber in the first place, we might never have discovered the stray litter and its mother in need of help. It’s thanks to the kindness and dedication of the staff that we have now rescued all the cats on site and are actively working to find the kittens and their mum safe homes.”

Claire Green, Executive Assistant at JELD-WEN, added: “We’re really pleased to have worked with Save A Stray to ensure that all the cats at our Retford Road site were safely cared for as we prepare to relocate. What started as colleagues feeding a stray cat became a team effort with a local charity to successfully rescue a whole litter of feline friends. We’re delighted to have made a positive difference to these cats’ lives.”

With no cat left behind, JELD-WEN will relocate its operations this summer to a new purpose-built facility, where the manufacturer will continue to support local biodiversity.

To learn more about Save A Stray, see www.saveastray.uk and for further information on JELD-WEN, visit www.jeld-wen.co.uk.

The litter were discovered in on-site containers at JELD-WEN's Retford Road manufacturing site