A group of five adorable kittens have been named after One Direction by a London animal hospital.

The black moggies were left abandoned in the waiting room of the Blue Cross hospital in Merton.

The staff decided to call each member of the furry quintet after a One Direction star due to their "scruffy hair" and cute looks.

Deputy nurse manager Emmeline Macedo said: "As soon as we saw the five of them, with their scruffy hair and good looks, it was hard not to think of 1D - they've certainly got the X Factor. We're big fans of the group and it's been fun looking after them but they now need a loving home."

The seven-week-old cats will be sent to a re-homing centre in the hope of the animals finding a new place to live.

Macedo added that the 'One Direction cats' are just another indication of the amount of pets that are discarded by unwilling owners. She added:

"It's tragic to see animals being dumped or abandoned like this but the problem is that there are simply too many pets for good homes available. We really urge people to neuter their pets to prevent unwanted litters being left to suffer."