Tiny kittens are left to die in a bag thrown on roof of derelict building

ANIMAL welfare investigators have described the discovery of the bodies of two kittens left to die in a bag thrown on the roof of a derelict building as an act of "appalling cruelty".

The Scottish SPCA has appealed for information from the public in tracing those responsible after two kittens died and a third survived after being dumped in a bag in the Moray town of Elgin.

Investigators from the charity launched an investigation after the bodies of the kittens were found by two members of the public, who heard the cries of the tiny kitten which survived as they passed the grounds of Elgin cemetery.

The three female tortoiseshell kittens, about five weeks old, had been trapped inside a rucksack, leaving them to die from hunger or exposure.

Senior Inspector Alison Simpson explained that the kittens had been discovered in the early hours of Sunday morning by two passing members of the public. And she said the kitten which survived had been extremely lucky to be found alive.

She said: "The two men were walking along the town's Linkwood Road at around 2:15am when they heard a kitten crying. They tried to find it and climbed on to the roof to check it was OK.

"On the roof, they found a black rucksack zipped shut which contained three female tortoiseshell kittens, around four or five weeks old, two of which had sadly died. They called the police and the surviving kitten has actually been given a home by the policeman who collected her.

"She has had a veterinary check and thankfully seems to be OK at this stage, despite her ordeal, though she is thin, needs special milk and is not yet on solid food."

She appealed for the public's help in coming forward with information which could aid the charity's investigation.

"We are keen to trace the person responsible for this appalling cruel act.

"A post-mortem examination will be carried out to determine how the two kittens died and if it's likely they were alive when they were dumped.

"Given their age and dependence on their mother's milk, it's doubtful they could have been on the roof without food for more than a couple of days at most.

"We can be almost certain that whoever dumped them didn't want them to be found."