A litter of kittens were found piled on top of a cardboard box dumped in a recycling bin.

The felines, who were only week old, were discovered by a worker during a round of bin collections.

After finding the cats in Cove Road, Farnborough, the workers took them to a nearby vets who reported the incident to the RSPCA.

It was found that the kittens were unharmed by the ordeal, and they were passed into the care of the RSPCA Hampshire and Surrey Border Branch.

Staff at the RSPCA have since named the kittens Morel, Magpie, Molly, Penny and Saffron.

The rescued kittensThe rescued kittens (Image: RSPCA) READ MORE: I tried volunteering at the animal welfare shelter that needs £500 a day to survive

RSPCA Inspector Leanna Hone, who is investigating the abandonment on September 26, said: “It is frightening to think what could have happened to these young kittens had they not been spotted by the refuse collectors.

“There wasn’t any sound of miaowing, but the bin was quite full, so the cats were lying on a cardboard box near the top and were fortunately spotted as the bin was being picked up on the round.

“All the kittens are doing well and their eyes are opening.

“They were given a feed and a clean-up, and I took them to our local branch who have now placed them with one of their cat fosterers.”

She added that the RSPCA is appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Leanna said: “We are investigating the circumstances of this cruel abandonment. The house holder who owned the bin was horrified when they heard these kittens had been placed in it outside their home.

“We are also concerned for the welfare of the cats’ mother, so if anyone knows anything about these kittens and who their owner might be we would urge them to call the RSPCA appeals line number on 0300 123 8018 quoting incident number 01360132.”

The RSPCA is currently facing the biggest rehoming crisis in recent memory, leaving rescue centres and branches full to bursting with more unwanted animals coming into care than are being adopted. 

To try and improve adoption rates, the charity has launched a month long rehoming campaign, aptly-named Adoptober.