A BUILDER saved three cats when he rescued them from a box dumped next to a skip.

Simon Patterson spotted the sealed box by his skip in Station Approach, West Wickham. When the builder unsealed the cardboard stereo box, instead of finding a stereo, he was surprised to discover three cats.

He said: “Fortunately, I opened the box as no air could get in to the cats. It was lucky the box wasn't mistaken for rubbish and thrown on the skip.”

The contents of the skip would have been dumped and burnt, crushed or buried.

The cats, two females and a male are all in excellent condition and a spokesman for the cat sanctuary where they are staying is sure they have been stolen and dumped.

She said: “They are plump and well looked after and none of them have fleas at all. All three show signs of having worn collars.”

It has been known for cats to be stolen and dumped because of neighbour disputes or out of spite when relationships break up, and the sanctuary believe this may have been the reason.

If you recognise the cats, call Eleanor on 020 8763 1406.