While most people would expect to find birds in nests, Irish pet store owner Henry McGauley says he recently discovered four newborn kittens in a pigeon's nest on a tree in the back garden of his home.
"Henry had heard squawking in the morning, and he didn't know what it was, so he went up the ladder to investigate," Henry's wife, Fiona McGauley, told ABC News today. "That's when he saw four baby newborn kittens."
The couple believes the kittens were born there and that they were only a few days old when they were found this past Monday, Fiona said.
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Momma cat wasn't at the nest when Henry initially discovered it, but the couple found her there a few hours later nursing the kittens, Fiona said.
"It turned out we knew the cat," she said. "We'd always used to see her by the alleyway. She was pregnant, and she disappeared a few times."
Fiona added that she and her husband also feed stray cats at the back of their house all the time.
"In a couple of weeks, the mom will probably bring the kittens to the back door for feeding," she said. "When they're older, we'll take them in, get them tamed and find permanent homes for them."
For now, the kittens are under the care of their mother outside the McGauleys' home.
"There was a heavy shower the other day, so it seems like she moved the kittens, and they're probably under the shed or somewhere inside there," Fiona said. "A lot of our customers are in love with the kittens and excited for when they're old enough to adopt."