THREE kittens have been rescued after they were abandoned in a box outside a pub.

The animals were left without food or water in an alleyway in Seaford last week.

They were spotted by a publican who called a cat rescue centre in Denton, near Newhaven. He does not wish to be named to prevent others from ditching animals outside his pub.

Denton Cat Rescue owner Chris Hole, 70, took the kittens in last week.

She said: “The pub owner rang me up in a panic on Wednesday morning. He saw the box the evening before and thought nothing of it. But that morning, just by chance, he saw a little head poking up.

“When he got closer he realised there were three black and white kittens inside.

“They were in a sorry state. They were emaciated and had fleas and worms. They were about 12 weeks old, but they looked a lot younger. They were so tiny. I don’t know how long they’d been there, but judging by the state of them, they were very lucky to be alive.

“It’s disgusting that someone just dumped them there and left these defenceless poor creatures cowering in a box. It’s so easy to send them to us or another rescue centre.”

Chris is now taking care of the kittens. One has already been offered a new home and she hopes to find a new owner for the other two.

She said: “They’ll be ready for rehoming soon, but they’ll need a little more looking after for the next few weeks before they’re back on their paws.”

Chris said that she has taken in more than 1500 cats at Denton Cat Rescue over the past 12 years. She attempted to retire a year and a half ago but said: “That never happened. It’s my calling. They call me the cat whisperer or the mad cat lady. Right now we’ve got two cats about to give birth and ten kittens tearing up the conservatory.

“I gave up my garden shed and being a handy man, my husband built a run for the cats. Soon enough we had a cattery.

“I just love them. They’re all different. One of these kittens is timid, but the other one’s adventurous and busy wrecking the blinds.

“We’ve got five of our own and we mustn’t have any more. It’s lovely seeing them go to their new homes.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: “We are very glad to hear these kittens are getting the TLC they need.

“Last summer 23,673 abandoned animals were reported to the RSPCA. Sadly, we see a peak in the number of abandoned animals during the summer with an 85 per cent increase from the winter months. If anyone finds an abandoned animal they can call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 or another animal charity and we’ll do our best to help.”

To adopt the kittens, call Denton Cat Rescue on 01273 517105.