The odds were against a happy tail when a young cat was found raising her kittens in an abandoned Dundee bookies.
The moggy proved to be a dark horse, though.
Amy, named after one of her fearless rescuers, had been trying to look after four young kittens in the empty Albert Street shop and was spotted going in and out by locals.
The worried neighbours started feeding her through a half-open window and the Cats Protection League contacted the shop’s owner in order to rescue her.
Irene Brown of the Cats Protection League in Dundee said they fed the furry family for three weeks before they were eventually able to get keys from the owner to get in to the shop and rescue them.
She said: “We had problems getting the keys as the man who owns the store lives in Edinburgh, but he was very helpful.
“We had three people go in and they had to grab Amy and her kittens before they had a chance to get startled and run off.”
Although the four kittens were feral when they were taken in they have now adjusted to life with people and all have now been rehomed, with just their mum still waiting to find a new family.
The black and white short hair is believed to be only a year old and is now ready to start a new life.
She has spent months at the shelter, where she was not as good at “selling herself” as some of the other moggies in care, Irene said.
However she has now come out of her shell after spending a week with a foster family in Errol.
Irene said: “She has been through quite a lot. When she was in the shelter she was a bit distant but now she has been fostered she has made herself at home.
“She is getting on with the children and other cats and would be a great family cat.”
Anyone who thinks they could give Amy the new start she needs can contactthe centre on 01382 450035, or to see other cats in need of new homes visit www.dundee.cats.org.uk.