‘Kitten Season’ would usually be ending by now but this year Animals In Need Donegal is still getting calls about pregnant cats and abandoned kittens on a daily basis.

The charity operates a helpline 365 days a year, including evenings and weekends, and they have responded to a spate of cruel dumping cases, where entire litters of kittens have been abandoned in remote areas.

Three friendly kittens of the same age were found last week on a lonely path by Lough Colm in Milford, while the charity recently had a record-breaking week where they took in 38 cats and kittens.

These rescues included three heavily pregnant cats who gave birth to fourteen kittens between them within a few days of their rescue, along with a number of small kittens being found at roadsides or dumped in the countryside.

A spokesperson explained, “Last week three little kittens of around seven-weeks-old were found in a remote area by chance when they ran up to a walker.

“They have obviously been well handled and are used to people and to just dump them to die is extremely cruel.

“They had no chance of survival if they hadn’t been found by chance.’

The charity does not have a rehoming centre, and relies entirely on the help of foster carers.

With so many mouths to feed, the charity has launched an appeal for donations to help towards the mounting costs of caring for so many animals.

The spokesperson continued, “We have to bottle-feed special kitten milk formula to the un-weaned, orphaned kittens every 2-4 hours around the clock.

“This means our unpaid volunteers getting up throughout the night to do the feeds, which is exhausting.

“Then, the mother cats need to be spayed before they are rehomed, all the cats and kittens need worming, micro-chipping, vaccinations and some also need veterinary treatment, which all adds up to a huge bill.”

To help, contact AIN’s helpline or donate via their Facebook page. To donate €2 to AIN’s ‘Help Us To Help Them’ fundraising appeal via your phone, please text the word ‘KITTEN’ to 50300.

Details of the cats and kittens available for adoption can be found on the charity’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AINDONEGAL.