A cat and her new-born kittens — who were tied up in a knotted curtain, tossed in a council skip and left to die — have been rescued and are now being cared for by a fosterer.

Haworth Cat Rescue re-homing charity is seeking more volunteer fosterers like Chelsey Dolan, who took in Snudge and her four kittens after they were rescued from the skip in Leeds.

West Yorkshire Animals in Need responded to the emergency call and gave the “urgent” case to Haworth Cat Rescue, which found a pen for the family despite a long waiting list.

Sara Atkinson, Haworth Cat Rescue’s centre manager, said: “Over the years I have seen it all but it never gets any easier. What sort of person does this? If Snudge’s pitiful cries had not been heard and had West Yorkshire Animals in Need not stepped in, these cats would have died in horrendous circumstances.”

Ms Atkinson said she was urging members of the public to step forward as foster carers to offer short-term care and nursing to mother cats and kittens and also to care for orphan kittens who needed socialisation skills.

She said: “We simply do not have the facilities or manpower at our present centre to provide the round-the-clock care and frequent handling the kittens require. Kittens who are comfortable being handled have a far better chance of being homed successfully.”

The charity has launched a campaign to raise funds for a new £2 million eco-friendly re-homing centre in the Aire Valley to house more cats.

For more information, phone 01535 647184, between noon-4pm, or at weekends between 10.30am-4pm.