Three piece ‘sweet’ - trio of kittens found in dumped sofa

Three kittens have been found in a sofa which had been dumped on a housingestate.

A member of the public found the kittens after hearing miaowing coming from thepiece of furniture while trying to move it on the Tower Hill estate in Witney, in Oxfordshire.

It is thought that a stray cat gave birth to the kittens on or near the sofa once it had been dumped.

Their rescuer took them to the Blue Cross Burford rehoming centre where the animals are now being hand-reared by staff.

The three kittens have now been renamed Daphne, Fred and Scooby or D, F and S, after the high street sofa chain.

Laura Crofts, animal welfare assistant at the Blue Cross rehoming centre in Burford, said: "We've had a bit of fun naming the kittens, but sadly there is a serious message behind this, and it is not an isolated case.

"One of things we encourage, in order to help reduce the number of abandoned cats and kittens, is getting your cat neutered."

The kittens are now about three weeks old and will be available for re-homing once they are a little older.

Laura said: "We have been really pleased with their progress and will be looking for new homes for them in around five to six weeks' time.

"After the start they've had in life, they deserve the best home possible."