Kitten close to death after being left in freezing cold outside Carmarthen vets

A KITTEN has been found freezing and abandoned in a box on the doorstep of a Carmarthen vet.

The six to seven week-old animal was left in the bitter cold on the doorstep of Towy Vets on Old Llangunnor Road.

Staff arriving for work on Friday found him at 8.15am.

Kirsty Pask, a student veterinary nurse, said he was close to death when they discovered him.

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She said: "If we had found him an hour later he might not have survived.

"It is inappropriate and wrong to leave a small defenceless kitten on the doorstep.

"He should not have been left there all night, he was lucky we came in and found him when we did. It was freezing that night, the cars were frozen and his box was frozen, its really unfair on the poor cat."

Although the vets is not a re-homing centre, Kirsty said they get a lot of people bringing unwanted pets to them but this is the first time an animal was abandoned outside their doors.

"This is the second time in a week we have had an unwanted animal given to us.

"Last week someone brought in a puppy they had been given as a Christmas gift but their landlord wouldn't allow pets, so we took it in."

Kirsty said they will do all they can to help owners find a new home for their pets, if they can no longer afford to keep them or even if they are an unwanted present.

"We are not a re-homing centre but we would never turn anyone away."

Towy Vets has contacts with other organisations who can help to rehouse a pet, including the RSPCA and Cat Protection.

"We will always give out numbers of places that can help. But the answer is not to abandon a kitten overnight.

"There is always a way not to dump a pet on a doorstep," Kirsty added.

The abandoned kitten will now be taken in by Dawn Williams, a veterinary nurse at Towy Vets.

According to animal charities it's not just cats and kittens who are abandoned.

New figures show more than 10,000 stray dogs were found by local authorities across Wales in the last 12 months.

Animal welfare charity Peta, is also warning of the dangers of animals being left out in the cold this winter, just as forecasters say the weather in Carmarthen is to take a turn for the worst this week.

A spokesperson from Peta said: "Keep animals inside, particularly rabbits, puppies, kittens, elderly animals, small animals and dogs with short hair."