A nine-week-old kitten has been dumped inside a sealed shoebox in Great Yarmouth.
The tiny cat only survived because the manager of the RSPCA shop in Caister Road where he was dumped last Friday happened to look inside a bag by chance.
The shoebox had been sealed shut with masking tape, put inside a Marks and Spencer bag and then left among other bags of donations outside the store.
'The bag was taken in by the shop manager along with the other items and usually they would have been put in a holding pen to be sorted,' said Debra Cook, branch manager of RSPCA East Norfolk.
'Thankfully she looked inside and saw a box with a few holes poked in it.
'You can imagine her surprise when she opened it and found two little eyes looking at her.'
The kitten, who has been nicknamed Donny, was collected by the East Norfolk branch's welfare coordinator and taken to a vet to be checked over. Apart from fleas, he appears to be in good health.
'It doesn't bear thinking about, but this could have ended terribly had the manager not been on the ball,' said Mrs Cook.
Now in foster care, Donny will now be vaccinated and micro chipped ready to be rehomed. His new owners will be offered a voucher to cover the cost of neutering.
To help pay for his care, the RSPCA is asking the public to donate 99p via Paypal. For details, email rspcaeastnorfolk@aol.com.
nThe East Norfolk branch has been at 'crisis point' with the number of cats in care in recent months. To help rehome those already in need, visit www.rspcaeastnorfolk.co.uk.
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