Four very cute kittens were found abandoned in an old cardboard box in a park.

The adorable creatures were rescued by Haringey Council staff who found them at the gate of Bruce Castle Park depot in Tottenham when the arrived for work on Monday morning (August 19).

The little furry black and white creatures have been ‘taken into care’ by the local authority.

They are thought to be just four weeks old and are being looked after at the RSPCA’s animal hospital in Finsbury Park and put into incubators as a precaution.

The shock discovery has raised concerns by the council over the number of domestic pets being left in parks and open spaces.

The dumped box found in Bruce Castle Park with the four abandoned kittens (Image: Alex Leach)

The rate of animal abandonment is at a three-year high, according to the RSPCA, which has been inundated with reports of unwanted pets — said to be 30 per cent more this year than in 2020.

A growing number of owners are now finding that keeping pets is too expensive with soaring costs of feeding and caring for them, according the charity.

The cost-of-living crisis is being blamed for the sharp rise in numbers of pets being abandoned or simply dumped on the street or in the park.

Now the RSPCA has started a ‘cost of living’ programme and special helpline to support owners facing financial difficulties feeding their pets. The number is 0300 123 0650, open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

The RSPCA has provided a-million-and-a-half meals through its ‘pet food bank’ scheme and allocated £1.5 million nationally to help deal with the crisis.

Owners struggling to care for their pets are being urged to “reach out for help” and speak to friends, family, local charity or a vet — rather than abandon the animals like the four kittens found in Bruce Castle Park.

An appeal is being made for anyone coming across an animal they believe has been abandoned to contact a rescue charity or a local vet.

One animal charity, the PDSA, also believes there is a crisis of stray cats roaming neighbourhoods which has been caused by pet-owners failing to get their animals neutered. This has led to an over-population of felines, the charity believes, with 1.4million cats up and down the country left unneutered.