14 kittens and a cat abandoned as Thornberry Animal Sanctuary becoming 'overwhelmed' with dumped animals

A female cat was found earlier today (July 23, 2024) having been dumped trying to nurse 14 kittens. Due to the immense demand on Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, staff at Rain Rescue took seven kittens into their care so TAS could offer the 15 new arrivals a better chance at survival.

A post on social media by TAS said: “We currently have 60 cats in our care including 25 kittens! 3 of these kittens were brought in by South Yorkshire Police and are orphans being hand-reared by our staff.”

TAS are still looking for foster homes for some of the cats in their care, especially for the cat and kittens that arrived today.

The shelter is said to be in “desperate need” of help and is asked for any donations towards kitten food and other necessary items.

Two other abandonments have been reported by other South Yorkshire rescue centres today, including Rain Rescue and the RSPCA Sheffield Shelter.

A litter of three kittens were found abandoned in a sealed cardboard box in a ditch not far from Rain Rescue in Rotherham. Staff at the centre said the kittens would have been hours away from death.

Five Lurcher/Terrier mix puppies were located near the Tinsley Canal in Sheffield, close to RSPCA Sheffield. They were also in a sealed cardboard box.

In a post on Facebook, RSPCA Sheffield said the dogs were very “lucky” to be alive.