Appeal after kittens found dumped outside Leeds home in freezing temperatures

The RSPCA is urging pet owners who who are struggling to look after them to seek help after four kittens were abandoned outside a house in freezing temperatures.

A member of the public contacted the animal welfare charity after the animals were found outside a property in Raincliffe Terrace, Leeds, at about 12.30pm on Thursday, 9 March.

Snow had already fallen in the city that morning, with further heavy snow forecasted for later in the day.

RSPCA animal rescue officer David Holgate said: "It was wet, cold and thoroughly miserable at the time.

"The box they’d been left in was soaked through, so it must have been a very unpleasant and bewildering experience for them. They could also have escaped and become injured, so leaving them like this put them in a very vulnerable position."

The three black female kittens, who have been named Dusty, Dolly and Debby, are believed to be no more than seven weeks old. A ginger and white male kitten is thought to be four or five months old and has been named Adam. 

All of them were relatively unharmed and are in RSPCA foster care before being available for rehoming.

The incident comes as figures show that the charity's officers dealt with 1,324 incidents of animals being abandoned last month and a further 1,529 in January.

Mr Holgate added: “Abandoning animals is never the answer and we’d urge anyone who is struggling to look after their pets - at what is a very difficult economic time for many people - to seek advice and support."

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