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Dog walker rescues dumped kittens after hearing tiny miaows in suitcase

Credit: RSPCA

The RSPCA is investigating after a cat and her eight kittens were found abandoned inside a zipped-up suitcase on a disused railway line.

The black and white cat, now named Tarini, and her five week-old babies were discovered by a passing dog walker in a remote spot between Great Yeldham and Castle Hedingham in Halstead, Essex, on Tuesday 7th March. They were inside a navy blue case with a Polo logo.

The passer by took the animals home for safety and called the RSPCA. Animal welfare officers say they were very thin, and looked like they hadn't had much food for a while. The mother, Tarini, had to be put on a drip and receive intensive care at the vets as she was very dehydrated. She has since recovered well and is back at an Essex centre with her kittens.

The kittens have all been named after characters from Disney film The Aristocats - Toulouse (male, tabby/white), Tiny Tim (male black/white), Scat Cat (male, tabby), Berloiz (male, black), Alli (male tabby), Duchess (female tabby), Marie (female, black), Eve (female tabby).

Animal welfare officers say they hope the animals will be available for rehoming soon.

The RSPCA is urging anyone with any information to call, in complete confidence, on 0300 123 8018.

It was pure chance that this woman happened to find these little kittens and their mum.

She was walking along the disused rail track when she wandered past a dumped suitcase, not thinking anything of it until her dog stopped and started sniffing it.

She took a closer look and heard tiny miaows coming from the case, so opened the zip a tiny bit - and was shocked to discover nine pairs of eyes peering back.

The mother cat and eight kittens had been just zipped up in the case and discarded. Who knows how long they had been there - it must have been terrifying for them. It would not have ended well had this kindly woman not come to their rescue - I have no doubt they would have suffered for days.”

– Donna Smith, RSPCA Animal Collections Officer (ACO)