Accrington: Horror as kittens found buried in shallow grave

Four kittens and their mother were discovered dead on Monk Street in Accrington and reported to rescue charity Happy Cats.

Andy Richards, who runs the Accrington charity, said it is the worst thing he has seen in his 15 years as a cat rescuer.

Andy Richards

Andy, from Rishton, said: “People message me about all kinds of cat problems and I received this particular message on Thursday (August 11).

“When I got there the ground had been disturbed and you can see the animals protruding through the earth.

“They had been buried in a very shallow grave and an animal appears to have dug them up.

“As a cat rescuer you think you’ve seen everything – but this really shook me and I think it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in 15 years.”

Andy, 61, says there are several possible explanations for the cats’ deaths but he has a strong suspicion that they were killed.

He said: “It’s possible, but very unlikely, that the cats might have contracted a disease and died – but that is near impossible for them to have died all at once like that.

“It could be a dog attack but there don’t appear to be any obvious injuries on them.

“They could have all been stillborn and the mother died in childbirth, but they weren’t newborns and were at least a few weeks old.

Four kittens and their mother, all deceased, were discovered on Monk Street in Accrington

“You have to come to the terrible conclusion that someone has deliberately killed them and buried them.

“It’s just the thought of what might have happened to the cats that’s getting to me.”

Andy is thankful that this is a rare occurrence for staff at the animal shelter.

He continued: “Thankfully, it is rare to have kittens apparently killed and buried, as these appear to have been. It’s the first instance of this I’ve ever known in 15 years

“Kittens often get dumped and nobody comes forward to claim them but they get dumped alive.”

Andy has contacted the RSPCA to investigate and is now appealing to the public for more information.

“If you’ve noticed that a family or friend’s cat and kittens have disappeared, please tip us off,” said Andy.

“Look at your conscience and send us an address if you can.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “This seems to be a very distressing incident and we would urge anyone who has any more information about it to report it to us by ringing our cruelty line on 0300 123 4999.”

If you have any information about the cats email: happycatshyndburn@aol.com.