A quartet of abandoned kittens have achieved internet stardom, in an ultimate rags-to-riches story.
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They've had to earn their keep however. While they are a little young to officially join the boys and girls in blue at seven weeks old, the purrfect police recruits have begun to learn the ropes at Wollongong Police Station.
Senior Constable Kellie Wright's daughter, Zali Stanford (nine), was on a camping trip with her grandparents and cousins Sienna Blacka (13) and Kye Blacka (11) when they noticed seven fluffballs abandoned under a caravan.
No mother cat came to feed them, so the cousins did what they could - and couldn't bear to be parted from their tiny charges at the end of the trip.
Zali's dad drove out to pick up the kittens. Two - Luna and Cookie - were adopted by Zali's family.
Senior Constable Kellie Wright found the perfect home for one of the other kittens - Marmaduke - with a fellow officer.
"I took him home to meet my wife, who wasn't expecting a cat," Senior Constable Kain said.
"Then she wanted to get another one, so we went back for Duchess. It was like a reunion when we brought her home, they cuddled right up."
It was made clear to the quartet that there would be no shirking, and they've been put through their paces in every department at Wollongong Police Station.
They've been encouraged to table motions at top-level meetings, however, it's understood they took the instructions a little too literally, climbing onto the table themselves.
Senior Constable Dale Smith said the kittens boosted morale - and productivity.
"We've had a constant flow of cops coming through here wanting to hold them, even the big burly ones," he said.
"It just makes the day a bit better. Lots of us see unpleasant things, it's nice to come back to the station and cuddle a kitten.
"We do have dogs, but we're not allowed to cuddle them."
A photo of Marmaduke hard at work attracted plenty of attention from other police cats in NSW and beyond.
NSW Police shared the image, before the Dog Unit jumped on to introduce their cat, and the Mounted Unit introduced Troop Cat Ed - who just so happens to be the same colour as Marmaduke.
Troop Cat Ed holds the distinguished achievement of being among the most clicked-on cats in Australia.
New Zealand Police also have a number of feline force members who passed along their felicitations.
The other three kittens will go to civilian homes, and there are discussions of an official Wollongong Police Station cat.
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