Kittens found wet, shivering and hungry are rescued from alleyway in Kessingland

The kittens found dumped in an alleyway in Kessingland. Picture: Courtesy of Anglia Coastal Branch of Cats Protection. (Image: Archant)

The kittens were found wet, shivering and hungry by a resident who lived nearby and called the Anglia Coastal Branch of Cats Protection late on Saturday evening to rescue them.

After being dried, fed and gently warmed they now seem to be none-the-worse for their ordeal, but volunteers from the charity said if they had been left another couple of hours their survival would have been unlikely.

The litter, which are thought to be around five weeks old, have been named the Fawlty Towers kittens and called Sid, Manuel and Basil.

The branch collected two other kittens from the same location earlier this year and the team is now worried that they may be from the same mother cat and that there may be an owner who, rather than neutering their cat, simply dumps her kittens.

Branch coordinator Delphine Wood said: 'We would urge owners to contact rescues rather than risk the lives of kittens by dumping them out in the cold and to ask for help neutering their cat if they are unable to afford to do so.

'Neutering your cat is very important. Kittens are cute but they are also hard work and their care takes time, effort and money. Neutered males are less likely to spray smelly urine in your home or fight with other cats, thus obtaining injuries. They are less likely to roam reducing the chance of being hit by a car, neutered male and female cats are also less likely to get diseases through mating and the risk of cancer is reduced.'

It follows another similar incident in Lowestoft back in June, where a litter of five kittens were thrown over fences into the back gardens of homes in Victoria Road and Dell Road, who were again rescued by the coastal branch.

During the first week of every month, Cats Protection holds a Snip and Chip event at the Lowestoft Over 60s Club where anyone living in the NR30-35 postcode areas and in receipt of income based benefits can purchase a voucher for £10 which covers the cost of neutering and microchipping one cat.

Mrs Wood said microchipping is also very important, even for indoor cats, as it enables lost cats to more easily be reunited with their owners.

For information regarding Snip and Chip events, visit www.facebook.com/CatsProtectionAngliaCoastal, www.cats.org.uk/AngliaCoastal or call the charity's neutering officer on 01502 679101.