KITTENS are fighting for survival after being given away.

The young are being hand fed by animal rescue workers who have had to intervene to ensure they stay alive.

Unable to cope with the reality of caring for a litter of kittens, the owner of a pregnant cat handed it over to their vet when they realised she was due to give birth within a matter of weeks.

The ginger and white cat was taken under the wing of Purbeck-based charity Margaret Green Animal Rescue.

The cat, Leelou, kept staff on the edge of their seats, before finally giving birth to six tiny kittens. Very soon after they were born, staff realised that there was a serious problem.

Leelou has only got three teats, so staff are giving her a helping hand by hand feeding the kittens day and night.

Despite doing everything possible for the kittens, nothing quite compares to a mother’s milk and one of the smaller babies sadly did not survive its crucial first few days. Without the natural goodness that helps give them immunity, there is a greater risk to the whole litter.

Claire Ross, manager at the charity’s rescue centre at Church Knowle, said: “We are doing all that we can to save the five remaining kittens.”

The charity is struggling to keep up with the number of unwanted cats and kittens – their staff have cared for more than 120 kittens already this year and there are even more on the waiting list.

Ms Ross said: “We would strongly advise anybody thinking of getting a pet to consider it very carefully.

“Caring for an animal is a big commitment and unfortunately we are seeing increasing numbers of unwanted pets as owners are struggling to cope.

“Pets that are rehomed from Margaret Green Animal are vaccinated, neutered and microc-hipped before they go to their new homes.

“We would urge anybody who has not neutered their pet to do so to help stop the spread of unwanted and abandoned animals across the county.”

To support the charity call 01929 480474 or visit margaretgreenanimalrescue.org.uk