British shelter washing kittens found colored with permanent marker

BRADFORD, England, April 27 (UPI) -- Volunteers with a British animal rescue group said two kittens are getting frequent baths after being found colored with permanent marker ink.

Katie Lloyd, a volunteer with Cat Watch Rescue in Bradford, England, said the 4-week-old kittens were brought in by police after they were found with the white parts of their fur colored with suspected permanent marker ink.

One of the cats' white areas were painted green, while the other's white areas were painted blue.

"Here at BCWR KITTENS we often consider ourselves to be unshockable ... we have dealt with most situations but this is a first," Lloyd wrote in a Facebook post.

Lloyd said the cats were dubbed "Shrek" and "Smurf" due to their artificial coloring.

The shelter consulted with experts and the felines have been given multiple baths that have caused the coloring to slowly fade.

"We have to be very careful to ensure that the ink does not go down their nose or throats or in their eyes," Lloyd told the BBC. "But I am fairly confident that over time the color will completely come out. If not by washing then it will grow out."