A KITTEN was rescued after it was left to die in a tied carrier bag on one of the hottest days of the year.
Rescuers believe the 12-week-old kitten, who has been named Bilbo, would have died on Saturday had he not been found.
He was found by a member of the public off James Reckitt Avenue, east Hull, as temperatures in the city soared to 26.5C.
RSPCA inspector Hannah Bryer said: "To abandon any animal is irresponsible but to confine a kitten to a plastic bag and dump it is completely inexcusable. Effectively, whoever did this left the kitten to die.
"It was one of the hottest days of the year and it was sheer luck Bilbo was found in time."
He was taken to the RSPCA centre in Clough Road, north Hull, where he was cared for by charity staff.
They have already found him a new home.
Amanda Nightingale, of the centre, said: "Somebody came in to collect a cat they had already reserved and we knew they had been looking for a tabby.
"We took them to see him and straight away they said they wanted him.
"He has been very lucky and is absolutely fine.
"Unfortunately, some people think it is acceptable to dump animals like that."
Miss Bryer also rescued a terrapin that was found in Worthing Street, west Hull, at the weekend.
It is believed the terrapin, which has been named Linford, could be a stray or has been dumped.
Two weeks ago, two terrapins were also found abandoned in a box by the river Hull.
Miss Bryer said: "These animals can not be released into the wild. They are often bought as pets, when they are very small, but they require a lot of space as they grow bigger."
Linford is being housed temporarily at the Clough Road centre while specialist accommodation is found.
The charity says there was an "alarming increase" in the number of animals being dumped across the country last year.
More than 37,000 pets were abandoned across the country, with the RSPCA receiving a call every 30 seconds.
RSPCA chief inspector Dermot Murphy, said:
"The shocking fact is that even in a nation of animal lovers, there are thousands of people out there who don't care about their pets at all.
"In fact, some literally treat them like rubbish.
"It's bad enough when we find a box of kittens wrapped in blankets on our doorstep with a note, but now people are deliberately dumping their animals in out-of-the-way places – such as bins, skips or on waste ground – and leaving them to die."
Anyone with information about who abandoned the animals should call the RSPCA on 0300 1234999.
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