The RSPCA is appealing for information after a young kitten was discovered tied up in a plastic bag with pieces of Saturday’s newspaper and abandoned in Norfolk.
The female tabby kitten was thankfully found by a dog walker at around 5am in Broad Grove just south of Grimston in Norfolk yesterday (Sunday 5 June).
Now the RSPCA is appealing for anyone with information on what happened to contact them.
Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Naomi Sadoff, who rescued the kitten, said: “This poor kitten had been tied up in a plastic bag and dumped like rubbish on the street. She was lucky someone found her when she did or she could have suffocated, starved or been thrown in the bin. Thankfully, a dog walker spotted her and contacted us.
“She was discovered inside a plain white plastic bag with bits of yesterday’s newspaper. She is uninjured and generally in good health considering the circumstances.
“We know that some people may be struggling to afford to care for their pets at the moment but there is never an excuse to abandon an animal like this and tying this poor kitten up in a plastic bag was callous and cruel. I’m now appealing for anyone who may have seen anything in Broad Grove on Sunday to please contact the inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.”
The young kitten has now been taken to the RSPCA Block Fen Animal Centre in Cambridgeshire for some much-needed care and attention.
The charity sees a peak in cats coming into its care between May and September – when most kittens are born – but, as the nation also faces a cost of living increase, the RSPCA fears that this will result in a cat welfare crisis with more cats being abandoned or relinquished than ever before this kitten season.
Last year (2021) the RSPCA took 20,188 cats into its care and received 53,388 complaints regarding cats in need. This year’s figures could prove to be even higher as the cost of living crisis takes its toll on people’s finances and makes it difficult for many pet owners to afford routine vet appointments like neutering.
At the same time a shortage of vets and an increase in the numbers of pets means many practices are under a lot of pressure with waiting lists for procedures, or they aren’t registering new clients. Planning ahead and registering with a vet as soon as possible, and ideally before you get a pet, is strongly recommended.
The charity urges cat owners to speak to their vets about neutering as soon as possible and to keep any unneutered cats indoors with plenty to entertain them until they can be spayed.
