The RSPCA is appealing for information after five tiny kittens were abandoned in a plastic bag inside a cardboard box in the grounds of a hospital in Exeter.
The newborn kittens were found by a passer-by who spotted them in a black bin liner that had been placed inside a box in the grounds of Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital on Sunday.
RSPCA animal welfare officer Alison Sparkes said: “The kittens are very lucky to have been found - at this age there is no way they would have survived on their own.
“They are way too young to be without their mum, and are having to be hand-reared by volunteers.
“It’s heartbreaking to think someone could just put them in a bag and leave them to die.
“We urge anyone who saw anything suspicious at all to call us on 0300 123 8018.”
Woman jailed for shop thefts in South Devon
Teenage girl missing from Exeter
Derriford's new A&E upgrades welcomed by MPs
Credition Bishop thanked at farewell service
Fears for travellers forced out of Haldon site
Exeter's shipping future 'at stake' in waterside building project
