CALLOUS cat owners who dumped eight kittens by the side of a road in Tiptree have been slammed by animal lovers.

One of the abandoned kittens – believed to be just four weeks old – died after being run over by a car.

Amazingly, the other seven survived their harrowing ordeal, despite being left for dead in the middle of a scorching heatwave.

The youngsters were found by rescuers in a hedge on Grange Road on July 19. One has already been adopted by a woman who lives nearby.

The other surviving kittens are being cared for by the Cat’s Protection charity at its centre in Chelmsford.

The charity said the moggies had fleas, ticks and were underweight, but otherwise in good health.

Spokesman Paula Middleton said: “We took in six kittens from a litter of eight which were left by the side of Grange Road.

“One kitten has been homed by a kind lady on the scene and one of them was sadly run over when the kittens were abandoned.

“They were surprisingly hydrated considering the extreme heat and the amount of time they were running around.

“Happily, we’ve already had offers of homes for them from people involved with their rescue so we will feed them up and socialise them in foster care, then they will be ready to meet their potential new families when they are around nine weeks old.

“They will be rehomed shortly after that – fingers crossed it’s a happy ending for all of them.”

Ms Middleton slammed those who left the kittens for dead and said there was “no excuse” when options are available for rehoming.

“The outcome could have been so very different,” she said.

“While we understand there can be circumstances where owners are unable to keep their cats or kittens, there is no excuse for disposing of them in this manner.

“If people do need to rehome their cat, we would always encourage them to ask us for help so we can find the cat a loving new home.”