About 100 guinea pigs rescued from property

The RSPCA is caring for dozens of guinea pigs which were among about 100 of the animals to be rescued from a property in Kent.

Many of the males among the 72 guinea pigs being cared for by the RSPCA's team in Leybourne will need new homes once they are neutered, and the charity is appealing for potential adopters to contact them.

"Ideally they will need someone with a good understanding of their needs as these poor lads have had a bad start in life so [they] will need time, patience and confidence-building," a charity spokesperson said.

The RSPCA says the animals will need to be kept with either a single or a group of female guinea pigs in a large pen of more than 5ft (1.5m).

Earlier in June, the RSPCA said five kittens and their mum were also dumped in a cardboard box on a doorstep in Chatham.

One of the kittens and the mum escaped when the box was opened, but the mother was found hiding in someone's house after almost 24 hours.

Unfortunately, two of her kittens have died.

The RSPCA's Canterbury and District Animal Centre is now providing round-the-clock care to the surviving kittens, that have been named Arwen, Gimli and Frodo, and their mum, who has been named Galadriel.

RSPCA inspector Deborah Rutherford said: "There's absolutely no excuse to dump animals like this."

Anyone with information about how the cats came to be abandoned is asked to contact the RSPCA.

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