Four-month-old kittens rescued by RSPCA after being dumped in rubbish skip in Leeds

The three siblings were found inside a cardboard box on Stanks Gardens, Swarcliffe, on Thursday, July 14.

RSPCA inspector Kris Walker, who was sent to rescue the kittens, said: “Fortunately, it didn’t look like they had been in the skip for that long.

“These very pretty kittens were in a healthy condition and it is a shame that someone has chosen to abandon them.

“They could easily have not been found, and had they been younger, they may not have survived.”

All three cats were unharmed and are now in the care of the RSPCA, whose staff have named them Hop, Skip and Jump.

The three are now available for adoption from RSPCA Halifax, Huddersfield and Bradford Branch.

The RSPCA’S Animal Kindness Index, a survey launched this year to gauge people’s attitudes towards animals, found that 19 percent of pet owners are worried about feeding their pets amid cost-of-living pressures.

The charity received 1,081,018 calls to its Cruelty Line in 2021, including 38,087 reports of abandonment.

This equates to more than 100 animals abandoned every day.

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Kris Walker added: “If people are having difficulties with the costs of keeping cats, then we would urge them to seek help. No-one should be in a position where they consider that abandoning their pets is the only way forward.”

The charity have asked that anyone struggling to look after their pets seeks support and information from them, which is available on the RSPCA website.