They look like cuddly, cute balls of fun.

Eastern Daily Press: One of the lucky kittens.One of the lucky kittens. (Image: archant2013)

But these kittens are lucky to be alive after being taken in to care by the RSPCA.

The charity was alerted when 11 kittens from two litters were taken to a vet to be put down, because their owner could not cope when her two cats unexpectedly gave birth.

Alex Boothby, manager of the RSPCA Suffolk East Coast branch, said: 'A lady went to a vet in Beccles with all these kittens and said 'Will you put them down because I can't look after them?'.

'She should have had her cats neutered and then she wouldn't have had this problem.

'The vet wasn't happy about putting 11 animals down and asked us to take them.

'We didn't want 11 cats to die either so we managed to find some space. They were only three weeks old and not old enough to leave their mother so the owner kept them until they were weaned.'

The kittens will be vaccinated at a cost of £60 each and will go to their new homes with a voucher for them to be neutered or spayed when they are old enough, which is worth £90. The treatment, costing £1,650 in total, will be paid for by the RSPCA along with the cost of caring for the kittens until they are re-homed.

Mr Boothby said the RSPCA tried to contact the kittens' previous owner to offer to pay for her cats to be spayed but had been unsuccessful. He urged people to get their cats neutered or spayed to prevent unwanted kittens.

The branch currently has 35 kittens and 30 adult cats looking for homes.

Mr Boothby said fewer animals had been re-homed this year and the branch was now at bursting point.

'We are not coping,' he said. 'We are meant to keep spaces free for cruelty cases and we are struggling to do that at the moment. We have got cats coming out of our ears.

'They are going into the trustees' homes on a temporary basis until pens become available.'

For more information about re-homing any of the cats and kittens currently being cared for by the East Coast Branch of the RSPCA, call 01502 566623 on Mondays, Wednesday or Fridays.

The RSPCA's Suffolk East Coast branch is funded through donations and sales of goods at its shops in Bungay and Lowestoft. Donations can also be made by texting CATS40£1 to 70070. Replace the £1 with a higher figure to donate more. All the money raised in Waveney is spent locally.