The kittens found near Caledonian Road

FOUR kittens with their umbilical cords still attached were rescued by a woman and her granddaughter after being abandoned in a plastic box off Caledonian Road.

The litter of newborns was found by Rachel Jennings’ granddaughter in an old ice cream tub on a low wall beside the builders merchants in Blundell Street, next to the Nailour Estate, on February 23.

The two women have since been hand rearing the tiny tabbys and tortoiseshells, which fit in the palm of Ms Jennings’ hand.

“They couldn’t have been there very long because it was a cold day and it would’ve been a cold night – they would surely have died,” she said.

“They were just dumped, and I got a bee in my bonnet about getting these people reported, but who am I supposed to report it to? The police and the RSPCA – what are they going to do?”

Ms Jennings’ post about the rescue on the website Next Door – regularly packed with missing cat appeals – garnered dozens of comments advising her what to do with them.

She added: “It’s cruel, and it’s illegal. How many other animals is this person abusing? “And what about the mother cat? That mother must be in so much distress – she’s full of milk with no kittens to suckle. She must be pining for her babies.

“Just because they’re animals, doesn’t mean they don’t have the same kinds of feelings surrounding their babies.”

The tub in which they were found

Ms Jennings has fed the kittens by hand every two hours of the day and night since finding them, and has also taken the brood to the PDSA animal hospital in Hendon – a vet charity for pets whose owners can’t afford the full cost of their treatment.

“They’re doing well – they’re putting on weight, their eyes are now open,” said Ms Jennings, who plans to keep at least one kitten herself, and another for her granddaughter.

“Without knowing who dumped them, there’s nothing we can do,” she added.

“But somebody might know something – a neighbour might be prepared to come forward and say, ‘this is the person you’re looking for’.”