A two-month-old kitten has been found heartlessly dumped in a lay-by alongside a pile of rubbish.

The tiny creature was chanced upon by a passer-by who was out walking along Plumstone Road near Birchington-on-Sea when she heard a mewling sound coming from the undergrowth.

Spotting the helpless kitten but unable to reach him, she called charity Cats in Crisis Thanet which rushed to the scene.

Once the animal had been brought to safety, manager Mary Knott took to Facebook to share her outrage at the incident.

"We got a phone call from a member of the public reporting a kitten in a lay-by on Plumstone Road, near Thanet Earth," she wrote on Monday. "Middle of nowhere.

"We drove up there and found him crying in the undergrowth with dumped rubbish.

"Who does that? He would have died!

"He is thirsty and hungry and crying constantly for his mum. If anyone knows of a litter of kittens being sold or given away locally, please let us know."

Following Ms Knott's post, Cats in Crisis Thanet has been inundated with offers from those keen to rehome the kitten - who has been named Plum after the road in which he was found.

"We thank everybody that has messaged or phoned," said Ms Knott. "However, this little one won't be going anywhere for the foreseeable future as he needs to be allowed to settle and then be checked over by our vet.

"At the moment, we are not rehoming our cats due to the lockdown."

Plum is said to be doing well following the ordeal. He has now been seen by vets and has had his first vaccination.

Cats in Crisis Thanet is a volunteer-run charity that rescues and rehomes cats across the area. With a particular focus on elderly and feral felines, it usually has more than 100 cats in its care at any one time.

Anyone wishing to donate to the charity can do so by calling Eagle Vets in Minster on 01843 825999, or by donating through PayPal to cic.thanet@gmail.com

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet