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Starving fox cub found under a sofa after spending days inside a family home

The young animal had been in the home for days - Telegraph
The young animal had been in the home for days - Telegraph

It was an unfamiliar smell and the increasingly strange behaviour of the family cat that finally alerted one Norfolk household to the presence of an uninvited guest.

A fox cub has been taken into care after it was discovered “lodging” under a sofa.

It is thought the six-week-old cub had been living in the house in Welney for several days and had affected entry through a hole where a cat flap used to be.

A smell had begun to emanate from the sofa, and the homeowner decided to investigate when they realised the cat was 'standing guard'.

It soon became apparent this little one had been in the house for several days

Josh Flanagan, Fenland Animal Rescue

“It wasn’t until she looked under the furniture and noticed two little eyes staring back at her that she realised she had a lodger,” said Josh Flanagan, the founder of Fenland Animal Rescue, which is currently looking after the fox.

"It soon became apparent this little one had been in the house for several days and had been without food or fluids throughout."

The charity decided to take in the animal after finding no trace of its mother.

Ten days later, after careful feeding and treatment, the "seriously dehydrated" and starving cub is doing well and will be released into the wild once it is old enough and if it has acquired the necessary skills to survive.

He has been moved to a semi-wild outdoor pen "so that he can remain wild, but also enjoy the space to play and explore like any fox cub should", said Mr Flanagan.