TWO kittens are in the care of an animal charity in Newport after being found starving at the side of the road.

They have been named Pesto and Mozzarella and are now in the care of the city's Blue Cross rehoming centre.

A member of the public found the kittens starving and alone at the side of the road. Centre staff believe they are around four weeks old.

Blue Cross Newport manager Georgie Riley, said: “It was so lucky these youngsters were brought into our care, as they would more than likely have perished without the care of their mum at such a young age.

“They were very hungry, dehydrated, and had crusty eyes and were very small and wobbly when they arrived.

“Their finder had kept an eye on them and contacted us for help when she saw their mother hadn’t returned.”

On their arrival, they had to be bottle fed by the team at the centre.

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“They are slowly weaning but are being hand fed still,” said Ms Riley.

“Initially they needed this more frequently than they normally would at their age, as they were very hungry and dehydrated.

Mozzarella is in the care of Blue Cross, Newport

“They are stronger now and finding it easier to eat from a bowl, and don’t need feeding quite so frequently.

“They’re such a cute and friendly pair, I don’t think we’ll have any trouble finding them new homes when the time is right.”

The pair are two of around 100 kittens and pregnant mothers in the charity’s care across England and Wales. No owners have come forward despite a social media appeal, so the kittens will be put up for rehoming once they are ready for it, and will remain in the charity’s care in the meantime.

Pesto being bottle fed by one of the Blue Cross Newport team

The charity advises that anyone who finds one or more kittens alone should watch out to see if the mother returns. They should not handle the kittens and should contact a vet or pet charity if concerned.

The charity also advise that cat owners make sure their pets are neutered if having litters is not in the plan.

Ms Riley said: “Many people may have been put off neutering their cats due to the pandemic or may not be aware that cats can become pregnant as young as four months old - but it’s so important to avoid unplanned litters.

“Every year we see a spike in litters coming into us from the start of kitten season between April and September - and heavily pregnant mothers, who themselves need round the clock care.”

For more information on the work of Blue Cross, visit www.bluecross.org.uk