The nest, made of twigs and leaves, is precariously balanced among ivy branches some 8ft above the ground.

The discovery was made by animal lover Henry McGauley, who with his wife Fiona, runs Ardee Pet Supplies in Co Louth.

Fiona says Henry, who has lots of bird feeders in their back garden, heard “squawking and went to have a look and instead of finding little birds, he found four kittens”.

Three are ginger and white and one is a tabby. Their mum is a white stray cat Fiona has fed and wormed and who is now calling more regularly as she is feeding her own brood.

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“The nest is some distance off the ground and one of the kittens fell out of it a short time ago. I was able to get it easily and put it back but we will have to put them somewhere safer,” said Fiona.

“I am sure they are only a few days old because the mother cat was definitely still pregnant last week.

“I couldn’t believe it when Henry rang me to say ‘guess what I found in the trees’. It was a bit of a shock but a nice one,” she said.

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The couple think the nest may have belonged to a pair of wood pigeons who left it a few days ago and now it has furry, not feathered, squatters. Fiona said she will be moving the happy family onto terra firma as the kittens do not have the required wings to ensure a safe landing if they fall.

Henry chuckled as he said: “I always thought the cat was a bit bird-brained but I never expected her to move into a nest.”

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