A 4-week-old kitten found in a tied up plastic bag at Whangarei's Mair Park has shocked the local SPCA which wants people to take unwanted animals to its drop-off boxes.

The grey male kitten was found alive recently, but had such bad deformities in its two front legs that it had to be put down.

The deformities would have been from birth, Whangarei SPCA centre team leader Andrea Honeybun said.

"It was so bad - he could not lie or stand. He just couldn't hold himself up."

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There's no reason the kitten had to suffer the ordeal of being stuffed into a plastic bag which was then tied, Ms Honeybun said.

"They could have left him in the drop-off box at the front door. There are drop-in boxes for people to put unwanted pets if they don't want to see us," she said.

There are two drop-off boxes for cats and kittens at the front door of the Whangarei SPCA on Kioreroa Rd, as well as a puppy drop-off box (not for dogs) in the carport.

Unwanted pets could also be taken to any other SPCA branch.

"We'd like to reiterate to the public that there are drop-off boxes, as well as forms they can fill out - they don't have to put their name, just where the kitten came from so we don't rehome it to the same area," Ms Honeybun said.

This will prevent situations like last Tuesday, she said.

"It was very distressing, especially for the lady who found him," Ms Honeybun said.