Kitten with broken leg found dumped in gift bag on Chesterfield doorstep

Drew, as she has now been named, was found in the silver bag on the doorstep of a woman’s home on Friday morning.

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RSPCA animal welfare officer Andy Sowden went to collect the black and white kitten, thought to be around seven-weeks-old.

He said: “Little Drew was curled up on an old pillowcase inside a taped-up silver gift bag.

“The caller heard a loud knock on her door and when she went to see who was there, the gift bag had been left on her doorstep.

“She had no idea where she’d come from and was worried that she was so tiny and appeared to be limping on her back leg.

“I took Drew to a nearby vet for pain relief and an examination which found she had a badly broken back leg.”

Drew, who went to the RSPCA’s Chesterfield and north Derbyshire branch, will have an operation to amputate her damaged leg when she is old enough and strong enough.

Branch manager Rachel Gray said: “Drew is such a little sweetheart and it’s heartbreaking to think that someone has abandoned her like this.

“Unfortunately, we expect that she’s been dumped because her owners didn’t want to pay for expensive veterinary treatment for her leg and now it’s left to us, at the RSPCA, to pick up the pieces.

“Thankfully, apart from her leg injury, Drew is in good condition and is a happy, sweet kitten.

“When she’s recovered from her operation, we’ll be looking to find her a loving new home.

“However, we’ve seen a huge increase in enquiries and applications for cats and dogs during lockdown and would like to let the public know that Drew isn’t yet available so we won’t be accepting applications yet.

“Please don’t contact the centre about Drew as you may block our call lines and prevent an emergency call coming through.

“When Drew is ready for rehoming, we’ll update our website and social media channels.”

Anyone with information about who may be responsible for abandoning Drew should contact the RSPCA’s appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

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