THEY were wrapped in two plastic bags and dumped in a wheelie bin to die.
But three kittens are now recovering after they were rescued by a woman who heard their cries from inside the bin.
The animals are being hand-fed by RSPCA animal care assistant Vicki Verschoor after being separated from their mother and dumped in a bin in the Holderness Road area of Hull.
The kittens were just hours old when they were rescued and taken to the charity's branch in Clough Road, north Hull.
A fourth kitten found in the bin had to be put to sleep.
"What happened to them is awful," said Mrs Verschoor.
"They were not even given a chance, they were just left to die.
"They could have suffocated because of the bags they were in, died from hypothermia because of the cold weather or slowly starved to death.
"It is lucky a member of the public heard them when they did."
The three-week-old kittens, a male and two females, have not yet been given names by RSPCA staff because many hand-reared kittens do not survive.
"They are doing really well at the minute but it is always touch and go with hand-reared kittens," said Mrs Verschoor.
"They haven't had any of their mother's milk, so they haven't had the antibodies and nutrients they would get from that. We give them cat milk, but it is no substitute for their mother's milk, which gives them a good start.
"When we are hand-rearing kittens, we have to keep a close eye on them because they can go downhill very quickly."
To feed the kittens, Mrs Verschoor gives them milk by hand every three hours – even throughout the night.
She said: "It is tiring. It is like having a newborn baby. When they first came to us, they were about a day old and I was feeding them every two hours.
"I bring them to work with me during the day and have them at home at night.
"Now, it is about every three hours and it will be until we wean them when they are about six weeks old."
It is hoped the kittens will be brought into the branch when they are around six weeks old to be re-homed.
Mrs Verschoor said: "It depends how well they are doing but, hopefully, they will start eating and be able to come into the branch.
"They are lovely. The boy is shouting all the time for attention and food, one of the girls really likes her food and the other girl is very quiet.
"It would be good to see them recover and then find a home."
Anyone with information about what happened to the kittens is asked to call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.
• Gallery: Pictures of the kittens dumped in a bin in Holderness Road, east Hull
