AN ABANDONED kitten has cheated death after being discovered by farmers.

The tiny black cat, just four weeks old, was discovered on farmland at Scaynes Hill, near Haywards Heath, after being abandoned by his stray mother.

The farmers handed him over to Cats Protection’s National Cat Adoption Centre in Lewes Road, Chelwood Gate, where staff are now hand-feeding him around the clock.

The kitten, now named Jerry, was underweight and close to death.

Karen Thompson, the deputy manager at the centre said: “He is very lucky to have been found as he would not have survived much longer on his own.

“Apart from being underweight, he is doing really well.

“We have been feeding him around the clock and will be doing lots of work with him to make sure he is fully socialised before he is rehomed.”

The charity helps neuter more than 150,000 cats and kittens per year across its 36 centres across the UK.

It has some 250 branches run by more than 10,000 active volunteers nationwide.

Ms Thompson said: “This story is a heart-breaking reminded of the tough life faced by unneutered female cats, who often spend most of their lives pregnant or caring for their kittens.

“While Jerry’s story is a great tale of survival, the sad fact is that the outcome could have been very different.

“Unneutered cats lead very hard lives and we hope his story will help highlight why it’s so important that cats are neutered.”

The charity says it can offer financial assistance towards the cost of neturing.

For more information on neutering or to find out about any cats currently available for rehoming at the centre, call 01825 741331 or email cattery-reception@cats.org.uk.

Cats are prolific breeders and one cat can be responsible for producing 20,000 descendants in just five years, producing 18 kittens a year

The average life expectancy for a cat is estimated to be 12 to 14 years though many cats survive to their late teens and early twenties in good health, depending on how well they are looked after.