Teens hailed after saving kittens dumped in a bag near the Boyne river

Louise Walsh

Ten kittens dumped to die in a plastic bag had a lucky escape, thanks to four young teenagers who heard the felines' desperate cries.

The kittens were discovered after the four 15 year olds jumped a wall at a disused premises, near the river Boyne, just outside Drogheda, Co. Louth last Sunday.

Animal rescue volunteers suspect that they may have fallen victim to rats if left there for the night.

Dylan Griffin (15) from Duleek, Co. Meath and his friends Vicky Letava, Daragh Duffy and Conor Spellacey were all walking last Sunday evening when they heard what sounded like cats crying out.

"We hopped over a wall and saw ten kittens abandoned in a Dunnes Stores bag," said Dylan.

"There was one kitten who was crying very loud. I think he escaped from the bag and was upset because he couldn't get back into it.

"I don't think they were there that long because there was a bit, but not much, urine at the bottom of the bag."

When Dylan couldn't reach the local Drogheda Animal Rescue (DAR) Service, he rang his mother Rebecca to contact her best friend, knowing she worked as a volunteer there.

"A volunteer came out within 30 minutes and checked the kittens. They had to bring them to the vets to be checked but they all survived.

"They think they were from two litters, one set was ten days old and the other was three weeks old. They have to be bottle fed now and taken care of for a few weeks before they look for people to take them.

Rebecca said at a time when teenagers usually got a 'bad wrap,' she was 'very proud of them all.'

"They did the right thing and I'm proud of all of them. I was told that they may have not survived the night because of rats from the river."