Three kittens found dumped in a box, infested with maggots and covered in diarrhoea, are being nursed back to health.

Tiny four-week-old Cherry, Raspberry and Blackcurrant, along with six-month-old sibling Apricot, were left to die on the corner of a road in Wembley .

A cyclist discovered the abandoned felines and brought them into The Mayhew Animal Home rescue centre in Kensal Green .

While Apricot seemed to be in okay condition and of good weight, the three younger kittens were in a really bad way.

They were bony, stiff from dehydration, covered in diarrhoea and all had sore wounds which were badly infected and crawling with maggots.

Apricot is believed to be an older sibling to Cherry, Raspberry and Blackcurrant, all abandoned and left to die in Wembley

The team of vets got to work immediately giving them fluids, antibiotics and cleaned their wounds.

Head of Animal Welfare, Gillian Notton, said: “The wounds must have been incredibly painful for the poor kittens. We suspect that they got bitten by another animal, maybe a rat, which later got infected by flies, who laid maggots in the wounds.”

After weeks of care, attention and medical treatment from the vet and cattery teams the kittens have started to heal and are showing off their cheeky sides and playful nature.

One of the maggot infested kittens on arrival at The Mayhew

The Mayhew’s Cat Welfare Coordinator, Georgina Disney, added: “We can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been for these kittens to be abandoned in a box. With the hot weather lately and the kittens being so dehydrated, it’s worrying to think that they could have died if they hadn’t been found.”

“Being four weeks old, the kittens should be with their mother, but she was nowhere to be found. “We believe that Apricot is a sibling of the younger kittens from an older litter.”

‘Unfortunately we see a lot of unwanted and dumped cats, some born to stray mums, who have been abandoned, and we wish whoever dumped the kittens had come to us or another cat shelter instead of abandoning them on the streets.”

Once the kittens are a little bit older and ready to be neutered, they will then be looking to find a new forever home.

Cherry, Raspbery and Blackcurrant nursed back to health by staff at The Mayhew

If you are interested in adopting a cat in our care please visit The Mayhew website or call 020 8962 8000.