Six neglected cats have been found crammed in a cage and abandoned on the roadside.

The distressed moggies were in very poor condition and required veterinary care after being handed in to an animal sanctuary – which is already bursting at the seams.

They were discovered last week by a passing motorist in a layby at Petham near Canterbury who alerted staff at the Lord Whisky sanctuary in Stelling Minnis.

“They were in a terrible state when he brought them in – clearly neglected but I guess whoever dumped them did so in a place where they thought they’d be found,” said sanctuary owner Margaret Todd.

“We are bursting at the seams with animals, as always, but were never going to turn them away.”

Mrs Todd says the cats, which are aged between two and three, needed veterinary treatment for skin conditions and fleas and worms but are now on the road to recovery.

But two of them are also pregnant meaning two litters of kittens are due which will add to the sanctuary’s growing menagerie.

“They will be spayed and neutered and then we will try and find new homes for them, although the kittens are likely to be more popular and snapped up first.”

As well as the cats, other recent arrivals at the sanctuary are six boxer dogs, which were found wandering loose.

“It’s not all doom and gloom and we have many wonderful owners who have taken in animals and given them loving homes….”

“We got three, which we have now found homes for, and now another three, two girls and a boy which I think must be related,” said Mrs Todd

“They are quite young and lively and need owners who have the time and energy for them.

“The cost-of-living crisis is definitely having an effect because people are struggling to afford their pets, especially if vet fees are involved.

“We have around 40 cats and 45 dogs, as well as dozens of other unwanted animals needing homes.

“But some of them can never be rehomed because of their age or behaviours because we have to be very careful where he place them.

“Having said that, it’s not all doom and gloom and we have many wonderful owners who have taken in animals and given them loving homes as well as supporters who help raise money for us.”