Four newborn kittens stuff into drain, left to die Wrexham, EN (UK) Incident Date: Monday, Apr 30, 2007 Disposition: Open Case Images: 1 files available Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case ID: 11377 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: cat View more cases in EN (UK) Login to Watch this Case

Animal rescue workers say four tiny kittens, cruelly dumped in a Wrexham drain, were close to death when they were found.

The kittens, just eights days old, were rescued from behind the old register office building in the town centre.

They were wedged into a drain, and found by a man working late, before being taken to Capricorn Animal Rescue, Padeswood, Flintshire.

The centre's owner, Sheila Stewart, said: "Luckily, the man who found them was one of our members. When they first came in it was touch-and-go whether we could save them, but now it looks like they will pull through.

"This is just a terrible thing to do. There is no way these kittens could have been born in the drain, they must have been dumped. It is so cruel. We are constantly publicising the work we do, and people know they do not have to do this kind of thing."

Sheila said the kittens, named Lucky, Thomas, William and Tiffany by workers at the centre, were in a terrible state when they were first brought to Capricorn.

She said: "They were hungry and distressed and one, Lucky, had a very bad eye infection. We thought she would lose both her eyes. One of them has been saved, but the other one is still at risk because it was such a serious infection."

The four
cats are being bottle fed every two hours and will be for the next three or four weeks, when they will then be able to eat meat.

Ultimately, they will be rehomed, but they are still several weeks away from that point.

According to Sheila, the act of dumping the litter will be equally cruel on the mother as it is on her kittens.

She said: "I can only imagine the trauma and stress the mother cat is going through after having had her kittens taken from her. She will be so distressed.

"Generally we have seen fewer kittens coming in recently, as it seems most people are getting the message to have them neutered.

"We had a warm winter, so some cats will be giving birth later on than usual, and we are expecting a summer rush.

"Whatever the circumstances, there is no excuse for dumping kittens. People should get in touch with animal rescue rather than carrying out cruel acts like this."

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References

Evening Leader News - May 1, 2007

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