A vet has been landed with an unusual headache.

Staff at Vets 4 Pets in Oakes, Huddersfield, have had a FOURTH litter of kittens dumped on their doorstep in the past 12 months.

And staff fear the kittens may well have come from the same cat, as there are many similarities.

Now they have urged the animal-loving owner, who has left the healthy kittens with warm blankets and clean boxes, to have his or her cat neutered.

Senior veterinary nurse Amy Gunson said: “The person leaving the kittens has obviously looked after them as they are well-nourished and show no signs of ill-health.

“But it is vital that the mother cat or the father is neutered. It doesn’t cost much to have a male cat castrated or a female cat spayed, and it makes sense.

“Some animal charities even give out vouchers to help meet the cost, which is about £50.”

The latest batch of kittens were discovered when staff arrived at the premises in New Hey Road on Thursday morning.

As in all the other incidents, the four kittens appear to be about three months old and were in a brand-new cat carrier, wrapped in a pair of shorts.

Amy said: “We found the first batch about 12 months ago, when there were about 10 kittens dumped in a large cardboard box.

“Whoever left them had taken the trouble to put them in fleece blankets to keep them warm.

“The second lot arrived in October and there were three in a cat carrier, again wrapped in a blanket.

“Then in March this year, we had three more kittens in a box on the doorstep.

“We have re-homed the previous ones but now need homes for this latest batch.

“We have looked at photos of them all and compared them and they do look very similar. It is entirely possible they could come from the same cat, as a cat can get pregnant a few days after giving birth and is pregnant for about 50 days”.

If you can offer one of the kittens a home call 01484 646800.