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Mum and her two small litters had been living feral at the property which had been empty for years, and were discovered when the house was being sorted for an upcoming auction.

The RSPCA was contacted for help and inspector Daniel Bradshaw attended. He discovered the family living among the rubbish.

He set a cat trap and managed to catch the mum and her five babies - three boys and two girls; sadly one other kitten was very poorly and did not make it.

A mum and some of her semi-feral kittens who were rescued from an abandoned property in Gainsborough

But there was still another litter of older kittens and Dan was determined to catch those as well.

Dan said: “The property had been empty for years and the cats had taken refuge among the rubbish. They were being fed by the neighbours - but the environment was just not good for them.

“Although they were living feral, the mum was still friendly.

“The mum and her kittens were taken into the care of the Lincolnshire Mid and Lincoln Branch - and I took them to the cattery where they were given a clean penwith a warm blanket to cuddle down on. It’s quite the rags to riches tale for them."

Jack Thorpe, branch administrator said: “The young kittens were growing up really well and loved playing with each other and climbing and exploring their cat towers and toys - they had so much energy and were a joy to watch.

“The older kittens are a bit more timid as they had grown up living feral but they too are coming round. It’s just great to see this family all thriving.”

To find out more about rehoming please visit the branch website.

New figures released by the RSPCA revealed that the charity's centres and branches across England and Wales rehomed almost 27,000 animals last year, eight per cent less than the previous year. At the same time, more animals arrived in the charity's care and the average length of stay increased, resulting in long waiting lists for spaces in rehoming centres.

The charity is urging people who can commit to the lifelong responsibility of a pet to consider rescuing instead of buying.

Family of kittens and mum rescued from abandoned Gainsborough home