Three-month-old kitten discovered on basketball court by council worker after being left inside freezer bag
The RSPCA is appealing for information after a young kitten was found abandoned inside a zipped-up shopping bag on a basketball court in Caerphilly County Borough.
The tortoiseshell kitten, believed to be around three months old, was discovered by a council worker cutting grass at Channel View Community Centre in Risca, near Newport, on the morning of Tuesday, June 30.
The worker took the kitten home before his partner transported her to a veterinary practice and contacted the RSPCA.
The kitten, who had been left inside an Iceland Bag for Life, has since been treated for diarrhoea and a heavy flea infestation.
RSPCA Inspector Sophie Daniels, who is investigating the incident, said the bag had been almost completely zipped shut, leaving only a small opening through which the kitten was attempting to push her head when she was spotted.
She said: “This poor kitten was cruelly left out in an open grassed area inside a bag that was almost completely zipped up apart from a small gap through which she was trying to pop her head out when she was spotted by the council worker.
“She has since had a vet check and fortunately it appears she was found in good time to be treated for minor ailments. There was some food left for her in the bag and she isn’t underweight, but clearly she has been the victim of a callous action.”
Investigators found a small amount of dry food inside the bag, where the kitten had been lying on a fluffy blanket.
The animal charity confirmed the kitten was not microchipped and is now trying to establish how she came to be abandoned at the location.
Inspector Daniels urged anyone struggling to care for a pet to seek support rather than abandon an animal.
She added: “We would urge anyone struggling to care for their pets to seek help before considering abandoning them like this. The RSPCA has plenty of advice and guidance on our website.
“Incidents like this are the reason we have launched our Summer Cruelty campaign, Cruelty Hurts, Love Rescues, as we need the support of the public to rescue and care for more animals like this poor kitten.”
The appeal comes as new RSPCA figures reveal a 64% increase in reports of summer animal cruelty over the past five years.
During June, July and August 2025, the charity received 6,322 cruelty calls to its emergency line – the equivalent of one call every 10 minutes while the service was operating.
Anyone with information about the abandoned kitten is urged to contact the RSPCA’s appeals line on 0300 123 8018, quoting incident 01844066.
