Kitten dumped in bin on hottest day of the year

A kitten has been rescued after being dumped in a rubbish bin on the hottest day of the year so far.

The eight-week-old kitten was found in Shipley, West Yorkshire, by a passer-by who heard its cries coming from inside the bin on Tuesday as temperatures soared to 28C (82F).

The abandoned cat was handed over to Pink Paws Cat Rescue, a network of volunteers working across Bingley, Keighley, Skipton and the surrounding areas.

The rescue team are caring for her until she is ready to be adopted. Her two siblings, who are also known to have been abandoned, are still missing.

Pink Paws chair Laura Westcough said: "We know who it was and the RSPCA have been out to speak to him, but we still have no idea of the whereabouts of the other two kittens as he won't disclose.

"It's really awful that she was found in a bin, especially when it was so hot, but actually, out of the three siblings she was lucky because the other two are quite likely dead. They stood little chance."

The kitten's owner was identified by a neighbour who has rehomed several litters of kittens from him before.

After the rescue, police and RSPCA officers were alerted, and the animal charity visited the cat owner's house, deciding to allow him to keep two adult cats - including the mother of the abandoned kittens - in his care as they were both in adequate health.

Westcough said more needed to be done to prevent this happening to cats in the future.

"This needs to be stopped, and the way to stop that is to have a law to say owners have to neuter their cats.

"This time we've offered to liaise with the kitten's owner through his neighbour and we can help to cover the cost of having the cats done. That way it stops the cycle and ensures no more kittens have to go through this."

The rescued kitten, who is yet to be named, needs treatment for fleas and worms, but she is eating well and growing stronger.

Westcough said they were inundated with offers to adopt the kitten after posting about the rescue on Facebook.

She said: "It's always best to keep them a little bit until we're sure they're OK, but then whoever wants to adopt her will be vetted and she'll find a home.

"She's very sweet and she'll go to a nice new home - she's got a better outlook than she did have."

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