Two eight-week-old kittens have been rescued by the RSPCA after they were discovered in a commercial bin on Queen’s Road in Peckham.
RSPCA Inspector Jade Guthrie collected the kittens on 14 November and took them to RSPCA Brighton and the heart of Sussex Branch, from where they will be rehomed when they have recovered.
It comes as the charity’s The Big Give Back to Animals reveals a staggering 23% rise in abandonment incidents being reported to the charity in the first ten months of the year.
Inspector Jade said: “The caller struggled to reach the poor kittens, who were underneath rubbish at the bottom of the bin. I managed to climb inside and rescue them both. They were very cold, wet and were shivering.
“I used towels and a hot water bottle to warm them up and transferred them to our Brighton branch for care. We believe they may have been feral kittens abandoned by their mum, as there are several feral cat colonies in the area.”
The kittens – a tabby and black and white – have been named Joe and Nick, and are thankfully healthy despite being found very cold and wet. Despite being found extremely cold and wet, they are in good health and are now with a foster carer who can help them recover and adjust to a home environment.
The RSPCA is reminding the public that people can do a lot to try and find the owner of any cat they think may be a stray – including placing a paper collar on a cat, creating ‘found’ posters and advertising on social media and other online resources such as Animal Search UK.
Sadly, incidents of animal abandonment being reported to the RSPCA are on course to be at a six-year high. That’s why this winter, the charity has launched The Big Give Back to Animals to raise vital funds for their frontline teams, and to ensure they can keep being there for the animals who give us so much, and ask for so little in return.
Jade added: “There’s an epidemic of animal abandonment and neglect, meaning our officers are needed now more than ever to respond to those animals in the most urgent need of help.
“That’s why we’ve launched The Big Give Back to Animals. Every pound and penny people give goes towards creating a better world for every kind of animal.”
Many people think to call the RSPCA for help when they see a healthy stray cat in their neighbourhood but the charity, whose focus is on rescuing animals who are sick, injured or being badly treated, is sadly unable to help healthy stray cats.
If you’ve found a young, stray kitten without their mum and in need of help please contact a vet or local rescue organisation.
There’s more information about how to help animals on the RSPCA website.
Whenever people are able to help animals in need, it frees up RSPCA specialist officers to focus on animal cruelty and neglect.
RSPCA frontline rescuers are currently doing all they can to help animals experiencing the very worst cruelty and neglect – including those who have tragically been left to fend for themselves – while our incredible animal centres are finding new homes for countless rescued animals each year.
