Scottish SPCA

Kitten survives but two found dead in bag

The Scottish SPCA has appealed for information after two kittens died and a third was saved having been dumped in a bag on the roof of a derelict building in Elgin. Warning: a photo in this report may cause distress.

Scotland's animal welfare charity described the act as "appallingly cruel" and said the surviving kitten had been extremely lucky to be found alive.

The kittens were discovered on the roof of a disused building within Elgin Cemetery in the early hours of Sunday morning (17 July) by two passing members of the public.

Scottish SPCA Senior Inspector Alison Simpson said, "Two men were walking along the town's Linkwood Road at around 2.15am when they heard a kitten crying.

"They tried to find it and climbed onto the roof to check it was okay.

"On the roof they found a black rucksack zipped shut which contained three female tortoiseshell kittens, around four or five weeks old, two of which had sadly died.

"They called the police and the surviving kitten has actually been given a home by the policeman who collected her.

"She has had a veterinary check and thankfully seems to be okay at this stage despite her ordeal, though she is thin, needs special milk and is not yet on solid food."

SI Simpson called on the public to come forward with information to aid the charity's investigation.

"We are keen to trace the person responsible for this appalling cruel act," she said.

"A post-mortem will be carried out to determine how the two kittens died and if it's likely they were alive when they were dumped.

"Given their age and dependence on their mother's milk it's doubtful they could have been on the roof without food for more than a couple of days at most.

"If they were alive when they were abandoned the cause of their deaths would probably be exposure or hunger.

"We can be almost certain that whoever dumped them so callously wanted however many kittens were alive at the time to die and didn't want them to be found.

"As it was the kitten that lived was extremely lucky that two kind people walked by when she was crying and came to her rescue because she wouldn't have survived much longer.

"We would like to hear from anyone with information. It's important to stress that these weren't newborn kittens and someone may have had them for the last month or more."

Causing an animal unnecessary suffering is an offence and anyone found guilty of doing so can face a fine of up to £20,000, up to 12 months in prison or both.

Anyone with information should call the Scottish SPCA's animal helpline on 03000 999 999.

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