Sunny the SunSkips kitten: One year on

In December 2021, the SunSkips team grew unexpectedly when good-natured lorry driver Rory Finn discovered Sunny the kitten trapped under some waste at the Stowmarket skip hire site.

One year on, Sunny is thriving as part of the Finn family, despite nearly getting scooped up with the rubbish and ending up in the recycling screening line.

We caught up with Rory to see how Sunny has been getting on since they took him in.

‘Eats like a horse’

When Rory first brought Sunny home, his wife Kate and her daughter were thrilled to welcome a new member of the household.

But despite being super sweet and cuddly, the family grocery budget soon started to take a bit of a bruising.

Rory said, “He’s mega affectionate and he has the freedom of popping in and out all day long.

“His fur is really soft and he eats like a horse!”

But Sunny – who the family initially thought was a girl until they took a closer look – is also happy to go out hunting for his own food and even tries to help replenish the kitchen cupboards.

“He has brought home a few ‘friends’ for us,” Rory explained. “A frog, a few voles and birds… Although, to be fair, the only evidence of the birds is their feathers. We never actually find them…”

Sunny – who has a very long tail for his size – was first discovered when Rory heard him meowing from beneath a large pile of cardboard that was due to be picked up by an excavator and sent for recycling.

Knowing he needed to act fast, Rory and a colleague started digging until eventually they discovered Sunny’s furry little face staring up at them.

Using a few bits and pieces they found at the recycling site, Rory fashioned a comfortable bed for Sunny and picked up some cat food and milk for him on his break.

“Sunny’s definitely found a family that will take care of him forever,” said Rory.

Rory’s story captured plenty of hearts in the Suffolk area. He and Sunny were featured on BBC Radio Suffolk, East Anglian Daily Times and Skip & Waste Magazine.

Sunny was a stray, meaning he never had an owner and was likely born in the local area and wandered off from the litter.

Sadly, Sunny’s story isn’t uncommon. With all kinds of warm places to hide, recycling sites can often attract felines looking to take a little cap nap.

One cat in Southampton got into a container at a Household Waste Recycling Centre and miraculously survived going through the compactor before he was safely reunited with his owners.

If you discover a lost cat, it’s important to make an effort to find the real owner. But if the cat is stray and no owner can be found, it’s OK to take the cat in like the Finn family, according to the RSPCA.

Everyone at SunSkips is so glad Sunny got the happy ending he deserved! Stay tuned for more pics and updates on SunSkips’ furry mascot.