troubles were yesterday behind him.

But the little mite's story is a damning indictment of man's cruelty to animals.

Two weeks ago the 18-month-old kitty was hurled from the door of a moving car by two callous men.

He landed with a thud on a patch of rough ground off Longbird Bridge.

Seemingly unhurt, the kitten scurried off to make a home from home among nearby rocks, scavenging for tidbits of food.

By chance, the heartless act was witnessed by a motorist who had pulled over to remove some dirt from her eye. Later that week she spotted an ad placed by Ms Patricia Allen, who had lost her Siamese cat.

She immediately relayed her story to Ms Allen, who went down to the bridge to investigate.

Repeated attempts, however, to catch the cat proved unsuccessful. And several days later she discovered the kitten wasn't hers after her own turned up.

Nevertheless, touched by the plight of the starving kitten among the rocks, Ms Allen alerted Dr. Burnie.

Dr. Burnie retrieved the hungry but healthy kitty yesterday morning, and put him in Endsmeet Animal Hospital in Devonshire.

Dr. Burnie urged people wanting to give up pets to contact the SPCA or any vet. "Dumping them on the street is reprehensible behaviour,'' he said.

Dr. Burnie appealed for the kitten's owner and the motorist who watched the street dumping to come forward and give their stories. He can be contacted at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

All is not lost, however, if Dr. Burnie's appeal goes unanswered. Said kind-hearted Ms Allen: "I will adopt the kitten if no-one comes forward.'' VICTIM OF CRUELTY -- Government vet Dr. Neil Burnie with the abandoned Siamese kitten, which has needed all of his nine lives.