A kitten that was stuffed in a JD Sports bag and thrown into a bush has been put down as the RSPCA seek the cruel owner. The flea-ridden feline had been rescued and put into a foster home, but was too poorly to make a full recovery.
The animal charity said the cat's owner had approached a member of the public on a Manchester street earlier in August, and asked them if they 'wanted a kitten'. When the passer-by refused, the eight-week-old cat was taken out of the bag and thrown into bushes, Manchester Evening News reports.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Jess Pierce rescued the cat and took him to be checked over by a vet. She said: “This poor kitten was callously abandoned and thrown into some bushes in Manchester. The witness said they were first approached by the man who offered him the kitten inside a plastic sports bag and when he said ‘no’, he then proceeded to dump the kitten in some bushes.
“The poor guy had a really bad flea infestation and was in a poorly way, very sadly suffering from feline parvovirus.
“He was put in foster care and the fosterer and the vets tried everything they could to save him but sadly his health deteriorated so the vets decided the kindest thing to do was to put the kitten to sleep to end his suffering.
“We all wanted a happy ending for this poor little mite and it’s devastating that didn’t happen. We are now keen to find the person who abandoned him.”
This comes as the RSPCA launches its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign as the charity sees a peak in calls during the summer months. Every month its cruelty line receives around 90,000 calls and investigates 6,000 reports of deliberate animal cruelty. But in the summer calls rise to 134,000 a month - three every minute and reports of cruelty soar to 7,600 each month - a heartbreaking 245 every day.
Jess added: “We know that people’s circumstances can change which may mean they can no longer care for their pets, especially at the moment due to the cost of living crisis, but there is never an excuse to abandon an animal like this.
“This is just one example of cruelty the RSPCA deals with everyday. Summer is our busiest time of year which is why we have launched our Cancel Out Cruelty campaign to keep rescuers like me out on the frontline saving animals and raising awareness about how to stop cruelty for good.”
The kitten was abandoned on August 4 in Church Lane, Manchester, at around 12.30pm. If anyone has any information about this please contact the RSPCA’s inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.
