WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find upsetting
The location where the kittens were found at Withernsea(Image: rspca.org.uk)
The RSPCA has made an appeal after a litter of four-week old kittens was found dumped in a ditch in East Yorkshire. One of the five felines was suffering from the effects of the cold and sadly had to be put to sleep.
The young cats, three male and two female, were found in a supermarket bag-for-life which was left at Egrom’s Lane, near to Withernsea Golf Club, in Holderness, on Wednesday, January 28, by a dog walker. The man took them home to his daughter who contacted the animal charity and a local vet’s.
One of the kittens was suffering from hypothermia and Ricky Beadle, RSPCA animal rescue officer, who attended at the woman’s home, took him straight to a vet.
Sadly, the kitten was in such poor health that the vet decided the kindest course of action was to put him to sleep. The other kittens have survived their ordeal and the RSPCA is seeking information about the incident.
Ricky said: “The family who found the kittens were giving them wet food and milk on the instructions of a vet. Four of the five were bright and alert, but it became apparent the smallest kitten wasn’t well and they called us.
“When I went around it was obvious that he was lethargic and not thriving, while his litter mates were bouncy and acting like normal young kittens of their age. I took the poorly kitten to see a vet who confirmed that he was extremely unwell because of hypothermia.
“This was an extremely callous act to abandon young cats at such a cold time of year – it is likely they had been left outside for at least two hours. We would urge anyone who knows about this litter of kittens or saw someone leaving them at the location to get in touch.”
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Anyone with information about this incident can ring the RSPCA appeals line number on 0300 123 8018 and quote reference number 01725162. The RSPCA’s latest figures show that throughout the whole of the month of December there were 1,919 reports of abandoned animals, taking the year total for 2025 to 27,964 – up 19 per cent on 2024.
The surge in pet neglect has led the charity to launch an urgent appeal – The Big Give Back to Animals – which is calling on animal lovers to help raise vital funds to help the charity’s rescuers cope with rising demand for help.