In Dagenham, Essex, a suitcase stuffed with 15 kittens was discovered by a veterinary nurse on her way to work.
They were taken to the Cats Protection Hornchurch & District Branch for treatment. Miraculously, the 3-5 week old babies, thought to be from 3 different litters, were all in decent condition.
“Six of them had obvious cases of eye infection and although the others seem okay for now, we will need to closely monitor them,” said Alison Gambles, the branch’s Welfare and Homing Officer, in a story by Daily Mail.
Oddly enough, someone had punched air holes in the overly-crowded vessel.
“Someone must have felt in a very desperate situation to do this. They seem to have intended the kittens to be found as the suitcase had been left near the home of the veterinary nurse, who is well known locally,” Gambles said in the story. “But with kittens this young and vulnerable, the outcome could have been awful.”
Since they are not fully weaned, the furry babies are being hand-fed and receiving constant care. Despite being carelessly dumped, these fortunate kittens certainly had fate on their side!
“Either someone’s own cats had been breeding out of control, or someone had been trying to breed kittens for profit – we’ll never know the full story here,” Gamble told Daily Mail.
Cats Protection has received an outpouring of support for the “suitcase kittens,” including a slew of families willing to adopt the babies, once they’re old enough. The charity is grateful for the support, but wants to remind everyone that there are plenty of other cats and kittens that need forever homes, too!
“We have over 1,000 cats and kittens in our care at any one time. You can find a cat or kitten in need of adoption through using : http://www.cats.org.uk/find-a-cat,” they wrote on Facebook. “Thank you again, your support has been amazing.”
“Kitten Season” is certainly upon us, so if you’ve been considering adopting a feline friend, now is a great time to pick one from your local (and most likely, overcrowded!) shelter.
Thanks to Cats Protection for their amazing work, and we’re so glad that these 15 fluffballs have a chance at a wonderful life.
(h/t: Daily Mail)