Shock as kitten found among rubbish at Offaly dump

The shocking case of a kitten found among rubbish at an Offaly dump over the weekend has prompted a local animal charity to make an impassioned plea for pet owners to neuter their cats.

In a Facebook post, the Offaly branch of the Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA) highlighted the case of the kitten, understood to be around 10 weeks old, who was found in a dump at Derryclure, Tullamore, on Saturday.

The charity said this was the "very distressing reality" of what happens to "unwanted kittens."

Alongside a picture of the severely malnourished and neglected kitten, the charity spoke of how upset its volunteers were when this case came to light and asked people to share the post in a bid to highlight "the shameful suffering of poor kittens."

In an update later on Saturday, the SPCA said the kitten was "severely malnourished and dehydrated" and had suffered terribly from "hunger, thirst, severe cold and fear."

As well as being "very upset and stressed" the update also said the kitten was suffering from an eye infection but did not have cat flu and would remain in veterinary care throughout the weekend in order to receive treatment.

The Offaly animal charity paid fulsome tribute to the two young men who saved the life of the kitten by rescuing it from the rubbish and bringing it to the SPCA.

"While the first instinctive reaction is shock, anger and horror, these two young men showed their true colours and their compassion by reaching out for help for this kitten and in doing so saved its life," the post read.

Shirley, a volunteer with Offaly SPCA, told the Offaly Independent that the posts about the discovery of the kitten seemed to have struck a chord with people. Five or six people people had offered to temporarily foster the kitten back to full health.

"He seemed to touch people's hearts in some way," Shirley said. "He just looked so pathetic. He was completely soaked and just so small and helpless."

Offaly SPCA is reiterating the importance of people neutering their cats to help reduce the chances of further incidents similar to this one.

The charity is currently running subsidised neutering campaigns for both feral and domestic cats, where people can avail of major reductions in neutering costs.

More details of these campaigns are available on the Offaly SPCA Facebook page or on 086 378 5584.