By . Mark Duell for MailOnline . An open suitcase with 15 kittens inside has been found abandoned outside an animal hospital. The kittens - who were all aged about six weeks old - were spotted being dumped by a member of the public outside a PDSA centre in Southampton, Hampshire, before the person drove off. An adult cat - possibly the mother of some of the kittens - was seen when the suitcase was dumped, but it escaped and ran off, and could not be found despite a search around the area. Abandoned: The kittens - who were all aged about six weeks old - were spotted being dumped by a member of the public outside a PDSA centre in Southampton, Hampshire, before the person drove off . 'Adorable': Ten of the kittens are now being cared for by the RSPCA, while the other five are at a private boarding centre . The kittens were then found when PDSA . receptionist Sarah Mills, 31, walked outside the centre and heard a . noise coming from the closed back suitcase, which did not have any . identification tags. The animals were riddled with fleas and have the potentially fatal condition . of cat flu. Ms Mills, who runs an animal fostering network, said she . had never seen pets dumped in a suitcase before. She . said: ‘I heard noise and undid the suitcase to see 15 pairs of eyes . staring back at me. Don't get me wrong - I'm not happy about them being . dumped or being in a suitcase. ‘But . they (the owner) did the best for the kittens. They have put them . somewhere where they will get help - they may have phoned around and . couldn't get them in somewhere and it may have been a last resort. Maybe . they were desperate.’ Safe now: The RSPCA is now investigating and trying to identify the person who abandoned the kittens . Poorly: The kittens in Southampton were riddled with fleas and have the potentially fatal condition of cat flu . The RSPCA is now investigating and trying to identify the person who abandoned the kittens. 'I heard noise and undid the suitcase to see 15 pairs of eyes staring back at me' Sarah Mills, PDSA receptionist . Inspector . Penny Baker, of the RSPCA, said: ‘It isn’t clear whether these kittens are all . from the same litter or not, but it does seem like a lot. ‘Because . they are all black, it is difficult to tell whether they are all . brothers and sisters. It is more likely that it is two litters dumped . together. ‘They are adorable . kittens, but they are all teeming with fleas and worms. I’ve personally . never dealt with an instance where so many have been dumped in one go . like this. Shocked: Inspector Penny Baker, of the RSPCA, said she had 'personally never dealt with an instance where so many have been dumped in one go like this' PDSA animal hospital: The incident happened at 8.30am last Friday on Mount Pleasant Road, Southampton . ‘Sadly there is no CCTV and we haven’t got a description of the person who dumped them. ‘We . are hoping the public can be our eyes and ears and share any relevant . information which might help us track down who abandoned them.’ 'They are adorable kittens, but they are all teeming with fleas and worms' Inspector Penny Baker, RSPCA . The incident happened at about 8.30am last Friday on Mount Pleasant Road in the east of the city. An . RSPCA spokesman said: "This is a really awful thing to do to dump such . young vulnerable animals. It's fantastic that the lady was there to . rescue them and take care of them.’ Ten of the kittens are now being cared . for by the RSPCA, while the other five are at a private boarding centre. Anyone with any information is asked to call the RSPCA on 0300 123 . 8018.
Kittens spotted being dumped by member of the public in Southampton .
'Mother' cat seen when suitcase was dumped, but escaped and ran off .
RSPCA says kittens are 'adorable, but teeming with fleas and worms'
By . Mark Duell for MailOnline . An open suitcase with 15 kittens inside has been found abandoned outside an animal hospital. The kittens - who were all aged about six weeks old - were spotted being dumped by a member of the public outside a PDSA centre in Southampton, Hampshire, before the person drove off. An adult cat - possibly the mother of some of the kittens - was seen when the suitcase was dumped, but it escaped and ran off, and could not be found despite a search around the area. Abandoned: The kittens - who were all aged about six weeks old - were spotted being dumped by a member of the public outside a PDSA centre in Southampton, Hampshire, before the person drove off . 'Adorable': Ten of the kittens are now being cared for by the RSPCA, while the other five are at a private boarding centre . The kittens were then found when PDSA . receptionist Sarah Mills, 31, walked outside the centre and heard a . noise coming from the closed back suitcase, which did not have any . identification tags. The animals were riddled with fleas and have the potentially fatal condition . of cat flu. Ms Mills, who runs an animal fostering network, said she . had never seen pets dumped in a suitcase before. She . said: ‘I heard noise and undid the suitcase to see 15 pairs of eyes . staring back at me. Don't get me wrong - I'm not happy about them being . dumped or being in a suitcase. ‘But . they (the owner) did the best for the kittens. They have put them . somewhere where they will get help - they may have phoned around and . couldn't get them in somewhere and it may have been a last resort. Maybe . they were desperate.’ Safe now: The RSPCA is now investigating and trying to identify the person who abandoned the kittens . Poorly: The kittens in Southampton were riddled with fleas and have the potentially fatal condition of cat flu . The RSPCA is now investigating and trying to identify the person who abandoned the kittens. 'I heard noise and undid the suitcase to see 15 pairs of eyes staring back at me' Sarah Mills, PDSA receptionist . Inspector . Penny Baker, of the RSPCA, said: ‘It isn’t clear whether these kittens are all . from the same litter or not, but it does seem like a lot. ‘Because . they are all black, it is difficult to tell whether they are all . brothers and sisters. It is more likely that it is two litters dumped . together. ‘They are adorable . kittens, but they are all teeming with fleas and worms. I’ve personally . never dealt with an instance where so many have been dumped in one go . like this. Shocked: Inspector Penny Baker, of the RSPCA, said she had 'personally never dealt with an instance where so many have been dumped in one go like this' PDSA animal hospital: The incident happened at 8.30am last Friday on Mount Pleasant Road, Southampton . ‘Sadly there is no CCTV and we haven’t got a description of the person who dumped them. ‘We . are hoping the public can be our eyes and ears and share any relevant . information which might help us track down who abandoned them.’ 'They are adorable kittens, but they are all teeming with fleas and worms' Inspector Penny Baker, RSPCA . The incident happened at about 8.30am last Friday on Mount Pleasant Road in the east of the city. An . RSPCA spokesman said: "This is a really awful thing to do to dump such . young vulnerable animals. It's fantastic that the lady was there to . rescue them and take care of them.’ Ten of the kittens are now being cared . for by the RSPCA, while the other five are at a private boarding centre. Anyone with any information is asked to call the RSPCA on 0300 123 . 8018.
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