Kittens dumped in bag at airport

The black kittens, Maggie, Chester and Jet, were just hours old and still had their umbilical cord attached when found. They were abandoned in a cramped carrier bag and left under a vehicle at the long stay car park in Terminal 2 at the busy airport on May 24.

It was the hottest May day that Britain had seen for 176 years with temperatures reaching the high 20s.

That week Northern England and Scotland were hotter than Morocco and Mexico City and the poor kittens were dehydrated and sweltering inside the bag.

Animal Collection Officer (ACO) Steve Wickham rescued them and they were taken to the RSPCA Cheshire and Altrincham branch.

He said: “It was the security staff for the car park who found them initially. I think anything which looks like a suspicious package is bound to put them on high alert but it did mean that luckily they found the kittens very quickly.

“I thought it was going to be very touch and go for them but I was hopeful that the brilliant staff at the branch would be able to pull them through.”

There was CCTV footage from the airport but unfortunately the man or his vehicle who was seen dumping them could not be identified.

Joanne Yoli, RSPCA fosterer at the branch, gave the kittens round-the-clock care hand-rearing and bottle feeding them back to health in place of their mother.

She said: “It’s been quite a journey with these kittens. They were abandoned in such a cruel and callous way. As a fosterer who sees their personalities blossom, it is so sad to think how they started out their life.

“There is no excuse to abandon any pet in this way. There are plenty of options for people who feel they cannot cope and these kittens could have died if they had not been found in time.

“The summer months are typically known as ‘kitten season’ when we see an influx of kittens coming into our rescue centres. We urge pet owners to get their cats neutered to help combat this and prevent thousands of unwanted kittens ending up in animal centres across the country.”

Maggie, Chester and Jet are now 12 weeks old and have all been neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.

Joanne added: “The kittens are now healthy, strong and very playful. They will make an ideal pet for someone looking to welcome a cat into their lives.

“Maggie, Chester and Jet prove that rescue cats don’t have ‘baggage’ as they are so lovely and friendly.”

So far this year Joanne has fostered 18 kittens and many of these have been abandoned. Now she wants to see the kittens fly away home to a loving owner.

To rehome Maggie, Chester, or Jet, contact the RSPCA Cheshire branch on 0161 286 2503 or email [email protected]

To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care please visit: www.rspca.org.uk/give or text LOVE to 87023 to give £3 (Text costs £3 + one standard network rate message).