Two kittens - one of which is pregnant - have been found dumped at an orchard in a sealed plastic box with no water.

The RSPCA is appealing for information after the animals were rescued by a member of the public in Mill Lane, Canterbury, last week.

April and Sgt. Major, as they have been named, are around five months old and neither is microchipped.

RSPCA inspector Kirsten Ormerod said: “This must have been very stressful for these poor kittens to be abandoned in this way.

“On the day they were found, temperatures were warm, so being confined in a plastic box with no water, these cats would have been very hot and stressed.

“We are grateful to the member of the public who found them and took them to a place of safety, and we are appealing for anyone who knows anything about them to get in touch.

“Both kittens are being cared for at our Canterbury branch, and there are concerns for one of them, who is sadly already pregnant, which shows the importance of neutering cats at four months old.”

The box the cats were contained in was sealed, although a couple of air holes had been made in the plastic.

It was found under a tree near the orchard field on April 14 at about 1pm.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the RSPCA appeals line number on 0300 123 8018 and refer to incident number 01493738.

Ms Ormerod added: “With the cost-of-living crisis, many people are experiencing financial difficulties right now, but abandoning your pets is never the answer.

“There is help and advice available for owners at our cost-of-living hub, and we have more than 200 Pet Food Bank Partnerships across the country to support struggling pet owners.”

The number of abandonment incidents reported to the RSPCA has been steadily rising in recent years, from 16,111 in 2020 to 22,503 last year - an increase of almost 40%.

In February this year, 1,702 abandonment incidents were reported to the charity compared to 1,405 in February last year.

More cats are also coming into the care of the RSPCA. Last year, the charity took in 5,364 cats, which was more than in 2023 (5,322) and 2022 (4,696).