Vulnerable kittens abandoned in skip

The kittens, all tabbies aged around four weeks old, were found in a box in the skip at Shires Waste, in Toddington Road, by a member of staff working for the skip company on Thursday September 15.

The RSPCA believe it would have been easy to miss the fact that they were there, as the box had been covered by rubbish.

However, because this particular skip had a lid on it, it was emptied by hand, which thankfully led to the baby felines being found.

RSPCA inspector Mel Fisher said: “These kittens are very lucky to be alive, as the skips are usually tipped straight into a landfill.

“It is so sad that someone deliberately put these poor kittens in a skip to be thrown away like rubbish. The person who put them in this skip did so without any consideration for their welfare. We’re very grateful to the person who found the kittens and contacted us. Hopefully they will all recover from this ordeal and go on to find loving homes.”

Inspector Fisher stated that it is important for people to neuter their cats to prevent unwanted litters from being born.

She said: “The message we really want to drive home is that this vet clinic is covered by a neutering scheme, and if the owner of the mother cat was able to bring that cat in for neutering it would remove the problem of the unwanted litters and stop future suffering of kittens.”

The RSPCA, alongside other charities and vet clinics, are able to help with the cost of neutering and it is a simple and quick operation. Cats can be neutered from the time they reach four months old.

The kittens - four girls and a boy - are currently at the RSPCA’s Bedfordshire South branch where they are currently being hand-reared by volunteers.

The four girls have been named Charlotte, Lulu, Maggie and Pippa and the boy has been named Biffa.

Inspector Fisher said: “The volunteers at the branch have done an absolutely amazing job with the kittens and when the kittens are all older, I have every confidence that the branch will find perfect homes for them.”

The RSPCA is a charity that rely on public donations to exist. To assist their inspectors in carrying out their vital work you can text HELP to 78866 to give £3. (Texts cost £3 + one standard network rate message.)