WHEN they were found cold and starving crammed into box under a pile of rubbish, six tabby kittens were near death.

But just six weeks later “they are a bundle of mischief” said Jo Lucas, who runs Happy Cats Rescue from her Bordon home, where all but one of the kittens are now thriving.

She asked outreach volunteer Claire Brimele to look after the kittens, which had been abandoned near rubbish bins in the Buckskin area of Basingstoke in July. They were found by Charlotte Davey, who works at the Buckskin Centre and was walking along the road when she heard mewing.

She said: “If they hadn’t been crying so loudly because they were hungry, I wouldn’t have heard them. The way they were buried under the rubbish, I don’t think they would have been found as they were in a very small box.”

She picked them up and a call went out to Happy Cats Rescue. Mrs Lucas immediately asked for the kittens to be taken to the Basingstoke home of volunteer Ms Brimele.

Ms Brimele described the tiny kittens, thought to be only a 24 hours old and possibly born prematurely, as “very weak, very hungry and very cold”.

Sadly, one was so ill that it died.

However, with Ms Brimele’s loving care, feeding them every two hours in those early days, the other kittens thrived.

Ms Brimele said: “My life revolves around them - I can’t go out. But if I hadn’t said ‘yes’ they would have died. I think anyone who could have abandoned these tiny creatures the way they did is disgusting, and also it might have been bin day and they would have been swept up with the rubbish and ended up at the tip.”

Mrs Lucas said: “Thanks to Claire’s marvellous care the kittens are doing well, and are very lively, cute little bundles of mischief.

“They won’t be old enough to be re-homed for another few weeks. I am already getting enquires about them but I still have lovely cats and kittens waiting for a good home so please contact me via www.happycatsrescue.co.uk if you would like one.”