These five adorable kittens need rehoming in Devon after being abandoned

Warning: There are pictures of ridiculously cute kittens contained in this article

The Blue Cross rehoming centre in Torbay is looking for a new home for five kittens who have been abandoned just before Christmas.

The litter of five kittens - Gingerbread, Candy Cane, Frosty, Tiny Tim and Cinnamon - were rejected by their mother at birth.

Now two weeks old, they were brought in by their previous owner as she could not offer the kittens the level of care they needed.

They are being cared for by some of the staff at the rehoming centre on Ashley Prior’s Lane, as they do not have any foster homes suitable for the round-the-clock care the kittens need.

The tiny kittens need to be bottle fed every two hours, including through the night, so even though they’re adorable, it is a challenging time.

Since August, Torbay’s rehoming centre has taken in 38 kittens from the ages of two weeks to seven months old; their latest kitten season yet.

The group will be going up for rehoming at around eight weeks of age, so homes will be needed for the new year.

Foster homes are a lifeline for pets who need to be hand-reared and pets who struggle in kennels and catteries.

In what is already a crucial or stressful time in a pet’s life, being in kennels and catteries can have a detrimental effect on their happiness and lead to deterioration in health and behaviour.

The centre is also in need of other foster carers for cats, kittens and small animals.   

Jo Dempsey, animal welfare assistant at Blue Cross Torbay, said: “With Christmas coming up, we’d really love to be able to give loving moments to all the pets in our care, particularly for the hand-rears who are so dependent on us for survival.

"We’ve seen a record number of unwanted litters this autumn, many accidental, so please do think about neutering cats to avoid having so many in shelters.”

The centre is looking for a hand-rear foster carer who does not work and has the time to potentially feed kittens every two hours.

It will be a position that would likely have the kittens for up to seven weeks. Experienced hand-rear fosterers are desirable but full training will be given and staff are always on hand in case of any emergencies.

Jo said: “Thanks so much to all the volunteers we do have who help give special moments to pets who might not be able to cope otherwise.”

If you are not able to foster but want to help pets in need, you could call the centre to find out what items you could donate.  

Blue Cross is a charity and receives no government funding so relies on the generous support of animal lovers to continue helping pets in need. To donate to Blue Cross visit  bluecross.org.uk/Christmas-news   or to donate £10, text Moments to 70557 to give pets in need moments that matter this Christmas.

To adopt a pet from Torbay or to apply to foster needy pets, visit the Blue Cross website  www.bluecross.org.uk  or phone the centre on 0300 777 1550.