Kittens 'dumped' in box on hottest day of the year
![Tabby and black kittens in a cardboard box with some blankets on the ground of the box.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/1104/cpsprodpb/db27/live/8938a340-5979-11ef-ad24-7b9b33101851.jpg)
A cat and six kittens were found in a box at a school
- Published
Staff from an animal sanctuary have rescued a cat and six kittens abandoned without water on the hottest day of the year so far.
Hopefield Animal Sanctuary in Brentwood, Essex, said the animals were found nearby on Sawyers Hall Lane on Monday at about midday when the temperature had reached 32C (90F).
It said on social media, external they had been "dumped like rubbish at a closed school" and could have "died a painful death".
However, the sanctuary's marketing officer Tracy Tristram said: "They are currently receiving lots of love and care from the team, and they're all very sociable and friendly cats so have clearly been used to being with humans."
![A young man holding four little kittens - two tabby and two black - and he is wearing a navy blue polo shirt.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/976/cpsprodpb/a66c/live/4d8e2c60-597a-11ef-aebc-6de4d31bf5cd.png)
Animal care giver Xico found the kittens and brought them back to the sanctuary
![A image of a small tabby cat sitting on a fluffy blanket](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/1504/cpsprodpb/82e3/live/c73ddd90-5979-11ef-ad24-7b9b33101851.jpg)
The sanctuary says the cat and kittens are friendly and sociable
The three tabby and three black kittens are about four-to-six weeks old and were found when Xico, an animal caregiver at the sanctuary, went on a walk during his lunchbreak.
The kitten's mother has been named Aurora after the Northern lights display on Monday night.
The sanctuary said it is not accepting adoptions inquiries for the cat and kittens at the moment.
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