A cat that was found zipped inside a Port Adelaide Football Club bag in a suburban park is one of several to have been dumped during a recent cold snap in Adelaide.
The RSPCA said the young male was discovered inside the duffle bag at Campbelltown in Adelaide's north-east on Sunday afternoon.
The previous night, five kittens were abandoned outside the its Lonsdale shelter south of the city.
The RSPCA has said all cats were lucky to be alive.
"They would have been at risk of perishing," RSPCA South Australia inspector Cheryl Doudle said.
"There was a hailstorm warning in the Lonsdale area on Saturday, yet someone decided to leave these five vulnerable babies with nothing effective to protect them [from] the elements and no guarantee they would be rescued in time."
Staff found the cold and wet felines, which are only six weeks old, inside a laundry basket.
"Unfortunately, the dumping of kittens outside the shelter gates is not uncommon," Ms Doudle said.
"We've had at least five cases this year, but many more [empty] boxes have been found in the mornings.
"The humane decision would have been to take the animals to an animal shelter during opening hours."
In the Campbelltown case, residents discovered the cat inside the sports bag after hearing its distressed cries.
The RSPCA took the cold and frightened animal into care and is now trying to identify its owner.
"We're very lucky someone walking by heard the cat and was able to help it," Ms Doudle said.
The abandoned kittens will now go into cat foster care before being put up for adoption in a few months.
"We do understand that at different points in time some people can't afford for their animals anymore, and we're always happy to accept them as surrender," Ms Doudle said.
