A mother cat and her three kittens have been abandoned inside a dirty cat carrier at a bus stop in Surrey, prompting the RSPCA to ask the public for help.
The family of cats were found by a kind passerby at the bus stop in Chilworth Road, Guildford, on Monday, 5 February at around 2.30pm. Thankfully, the finder was able to take the cats home with them to give them some food and water before contacting the RSPCA for help.
Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Ben Fitzcosta collected the cats from the caller and took them into the care of RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre in Chobham.
He said: “These poor cats had been dumped like rubbish at a bus stop down a quiet, rural road in Guildford. The mother and her three kittens were squashed inside one cat carrier with a dirty cloth or blanket and left out in the cold. We’re so grateful that someone spotted their plight and rescued them.
“They are in good health but were extremely stressed when I collected them and will now go into our care until an owner is found or they can be rehomed.”
Last year, the RSPCA received 20,999 reports about an abandoned animal – more than in 2022, 2021 and 2020, and 217 of these reports came from Surrey.
Ben added: “There is never an excuse to abandon an animal like this. We understand that circumstances can change and some people may struggle to care for their pets, especially if this female cat had a litter of kittens which the owners weren’t expecting. But we’d urge anyone who is struggling to please reach out for help and never abandon your pets.
“We would also always encourage owners to get their cats neutered from four months old to prevent unwanted and unexpected litters of kittens being born which although cute can be very costly and time consuming – as we expect the previous owners of these cats discovered.”
The mother, a black four-year-old cat, has now been named Zodiac by the staff at RSPCA MIllbrook while her kittens, who are around 10-12 weeks old, have been named Hunter, Ace and Vogue.
The family of cats are doing well – Zodiac needs some dental treatment but is otherwise in good health and is a very sweet and friendly feline. Her kittens are incredibly shy suggesting they haven’t had much human socialisation but thankfully there are no health concerns.
Ben added: “We’re now appealing for anyone with information on how these cats came to be at the bus stop, or anyone who recognises them, to please help our investigations by contacting our inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.”
This year the RSPCA celebrates its 200th birthday. To mark this special anniversary the animal welfare charity wants to inspire one million people to join their movement to improve animals’ lives. To find out how you can join visit www.rspca.org.uk/200.
