THE RSPCA is appealing for help to track down the person who dumped a mother cat and her seven kittens beside a road in Somerset.
The grey and white animals were found inside an open cat carrier left at the side of the road in Ashcott.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ali Sparkes said: “A member of the public found these beauties in a hedge near a farm.
“The mother was young and very thin and the kittens were just a few weeks old.
"Sadly one of the kittens passed away, but thankfully six have survived.
"The team at RSPCA Brent Knoll Animal Centre are now taking good care of them and, once the kittens are old enough, they’ll all be found loving new homes.”
The cats were discovered by a member of the public on June 24 before being taken to a vet.
Ali is appealing to anyone who recognises the cat to contact the RSPCA’s appeal line on 0300 1238018.
Andy Cook, behaviour and welfare advisor at the RSPCA North Somerset branch’s Brent Knoll Animal Centre, said: “Sadly the smallest kitten didn’t make it. We’re giving extra support to the others and keeping everything crossed for them.
“Mum cat’s bodily condition is incredibly poor and so she is receiving significant nutritional support, as are the remaining six kittens.
“We’ve named mum Clementine and named her kittens Marzipan, Crumble, Gingerbread, Eccle, Fairy, and Genoise after our love of cake.”
The animal welfare charity has recently released figures showing there were 1,731 reports of deliberate cruelty to animals in Somerset in the last five years.
The RSPCA gets around 84,000 calls to its cruelty line every month and around 1,500 of those are about intentional cruelty. But the charity sees a rise in the summer by around 400 calls, on average, per month, which equates to 47 calls every day or two every hour.
July is a particularly busy month for investigating cruelty - last year the RSPCA dealt with a spike in intentional cruelty as 1,532 incidents were called through to their emergency helpline and the charity is expecting a similar spike this July.
Ali added: “We’re also really worried that more pets who have been bought during lockdown could become neglected or abandoned as people begin to return to normal.”
To donate to the Cancel Out Cruelty campaign and help us continue to rescue animals in need, visit www.rspca.org.uk/stopcruelty
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