A TINY kitten is recovering after being miraculously rescued from a garden bonfire.

The 14-week-old kitten nicknamed Phoenix is being treated at RSPCA Felledge, near Chester-le-Street, after she was found suffering with heat burns to her face and body.

The kitten was found cowering under pieces of wood after the fire broke out behind a garden fence in Cleadon, South Tyneside.

A neighbour heard the little cries from Phoenix and spotted her paw poking out from underneath the rubble.

After suffering fur loss on her ears, paws, toes, tail and face due to exposure to the extreme heat, Phoenix is now well on her way to recovery thanks to the RSPCA.

Luka Atkinson, reception supervisor at RSPCA Felledge, fostered Phoenix since she arrived at the animal centre, to make sure she received the round-the-clock care and medical treatment she needed.

Ms Atkinson said: “When Phoenix arrived she was in a really sorry state. She was just six weeks old back then and to see such a tiny kitten that way was really hard for us.

“The skin on all four of her pads was burnt off and the fur on her face, tummy and legs was singed - she was lucky to be alive.

“The vet said the injuries Phoenix had suffered were not direct burns from the flames, but rather heat burns from the blaze.

“This meant the full extent of her injuries took a few days to come out. Initially her fur looked singed and fuzzy, but it gradually started to fall out and her skin started to crisp and fall off.”

The team at Felledge worked around the clock treating Phoenix’s injuries - bathing and bandaging her, administering painkillers and keeping her skin cool and hydrated.

Ms Atkinson said: “Phoenix looks different because her eyelids are still healing so we are giving her eye drops several times a day.

"We are extremely grateful to eye specialist vet Iona Mathieson and the team at Eye Vet in Sutton Weaver who will be providing Phoenix with further treatment to her eyes.

She added: “Phoenix runs riot with the other kittens at our centre so we are just so happy we gave her a chance and saved her life - she really is the luckiest kitten in Britain.

“Vet Gill Maxwell of Cestria Veterinary Centre in Chester-le-Street has helped treat Phoenix from the start and has been such a great support to us.”