“It’s heartbreaking that these young kittens were abandoned in such a thoughtless way – and on Christmas Day.”
The RSPCA have issued an update following the sad news of a litter of kittens being dumped on Christmas Day. The five-week-old cats were described as “far too young to be without their mum”.
It has since been revealed they were found inside an empty Felix kitten meat pouches box. Safely in the care of RSPCA Hull & East Riding Branch, they have been named Nutcracker, Tinsel, Brussels, Parsnip, Gravy and Pudding.
The litter of six includes two girls and four boys. They were discovered in an alleyway off Melrose Street in the Anlaby Road area at around 10am on December 25.
RSPCA Inspector Thomas Hutton, who is investigating how the kittens came to be dumped, said: “It’s heartbreaking that these young kittens were abandoned in such a thoughtless way – and on Christmas Day.
“A kind member of the public secured them so they were safe and the team at the RSPCA Hull & East Riding Branch are now giving them the care they desperately need, but the outcome could have been so different for these little guys, especially in such cold weather.”
Their abandonment comes as the RSPCA has launched an urgent appeal, ‘The Big Give Back to Animals’, in the hope of raising vital funds to keep frontline teams rescuing animals, like these kittens, through the winter months. Reports of animal abandonment will this year reach their highest point in at least six years, and issues like the ongoing cost of living crisis mean animals need the RSPCA more than ever.
Up to the end of October, 24,270 incidents about an animal being abandoned or dumped had been raised with the charity’s emergency line – up from 19,727 in the first 10 months of 2024. Last Winter, 5,902 incidents of animal abandonment were raised with the charity between November and January.
This latest incident on Christmas Day highlights that it is another tough season for the charity’s frontline officers. On Christmas Day, the RSPCA received 241 calls from members of the public reporting animal welfare concerns. There were also 462 reports on Christmas Eve.
Thomas added: “It’s always so sad to see animals in desperate need of care being left in circumstances like this. We would urge anyone who is struggling to look after their pets – at what is a very difficult economic time for many people – to seek help and support when their pet first needs help, rather than simply abandoning an animal in their moment of need.
“We are keen to speak to the person who left these kittens so we can find out about their medical history and we would urge them to get in touch with us. Anyone who can help should contact us on our dedicated appeals line 0300 123 8018, quoting incident number 1702944.”
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