THREE NEWBORN KITTENS found abandoned have been taken into the care of the ISPCA National Animal Centre in Keenagh, Co Longford.

The kittens were found by gardaí yesterday in a plastic bag near Rathcline cemetery in Lanesborough, Co Longford.

The three kittens are fighting to recover from being left outside in the cold and rainy weather.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said: “Gardaí are making enquiries following the discovery of kittens in Lanesboro, Longford on 25 August 2020. The kittens were in a healthy condition and were brought to the ISCPA.” 

It is estimated the kittens are less than four weeks old.

ISPCA Centre Manager Hugh O’Toole said that the plastic bag would not have “provided enough warmth and the kittens would have succumbed to hypothermia” with the poor weather conditions.

“They were shaking with the cold and completely soaked from the rain,” O’Toole said.

“The kittens are no more than four weeks old and sadly have experienced the very worst start in life. It’s heartless to think that someone placed them in a bag and just abandoned them.”

The kittens were wrapped in towels and placed on heated pads under a heat lamp when they arrived at the ISPCA centre.

O’Toole said that it is difficult to determine how long the kittens had been left in the bag.

“It’s heartbreaking to hear them cry for their mother as they are too young to be separated but they are safe now,” O’Toole said.

“The next few days will be critical but we are hopeful they will make full recoveries in our care.”

The average recovery time for a neglected, abandoned or cruelly-treated animal in ISPCA care is 54 days.

Under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, it is an offence for a person to abandon an animal under their possession or control.

The ISPCA is appealing to the public for information on the abandonment of the kittens.