At first glance you would never guess the near fatal ordeal this adorable cluster of kittens pictured above has gone through.

The ten kittens are now being cared for RSPCA fosterers after they were left abandoned in a sealed up box under a bush on the Carlton Marshes nature reserve at Carlton Colville.

Luckily the abandoned animals were found by a dog walker who took them to a vets leading to the RSPCA being called in.

RSPCA officials say that if the cats had not been found they could easily have died from being left out in the elements or torn apart by foxes.

It is the largest number of abandoned kittens received by the RSPCA Suffolk East Coast branch and after being treated and cared for, the animal welfare charity is now looking to re-home them.

Jean Talbot was the RSPCA animal welfare officer who collected the kittens from the vets and had seen the conditions they had been left in last Thursday.

She said: 'They were dirty and subdued after they had been sealed up in the box. There was no food or water in it.

'How could anyone just leave them out like that, it is heartless. If that dog walker had not found them under the bush who knows what could have happened?

'They could have been torn apart by foxes.'

The cats, made up of six females and four males, are now being cared for by foster volunteers Jackie Jones, 66 from Oulton Broad, and Linda Grigg, 60, from Lowestoft and they say the kittens are getting over their ordeal.

Mrs Jones said: 'How can people do something like this to these kittens? Anything could have happened to them out there.'

The plight of the kittens has led to the RSPCA saying that cat owners should neuter their male cats to prevent similar incidents happening again.

Angela Sharman, RSPCA co-ordinator for the Suffolk East Coast branch, said: 'The kittens could easily have died. They were taped up tightly in the box and they would not have bee able to get out of there.

'It could have been completely preventable.'

?Anyone who would like to re-home one or some of the kittens can call the RSPCA branch on 01502 566623 to leave a message.

Anyone who wants to make a donation to the RSPCA East Coast Branch can make donation by texting CATS40 £1 to 70070 and this will donate £1 to the branch.

You can replace the 1 with 2, 5 or 10 to donate the corresponding amount.