Happy Ending for Cats Dumped Roadside in a Sealed Cardboard Box
The following story was sent to me by our Catster friend Shai Ming (left), who gets The Cat’s Meow delivered every day to her email inbox. You can too! Click here to sign up. 
In Michigan last week, two kittens were cruelly left to die a slow death in a sealed cardboard box in a roadside ditch near Sand Creek. Allen Huff first saw the box on January 8th, and continued to drive by it for several days before investigating. Every time he drove by he thought he should stop and take a look, which he finally did on the 11th. The box was tightly sealed with electrical tape. “There was no way they could have gotten out,” Huff said. “I can’t believe someone would do that.” As he pulled the tape off and opened the box, he was startled when the box began to move and a kitten jumped out and ran into the bushes. “It was quite a surprise,” he said. The box provided neither air holes nor food.
A second kitten was in the box. He took that kitten with him, then went back to track the first kitten. His wife called veterinarian Nancy Kelly while he retrieved kitten #1.
The kittens “were pretty grateful to be found, I’m sure,” he said. It was obvious to both he and Dr Kelly that the cats were not feral, but were accustomed to people.
Dr Kelly took the kittens to her clinic. She noted that the kittens were about six months old, one male and one female. The female had a respiratory infection, but the male was healthy and doing very well.
“It’s just sad anyone would do this,” she said. When the kittens get to feeling better, Kelly said, she will vaccinate them and find them a good home.
Kelly talked to the owner of property where the kittens were discovered. He told her that this is not the first time animals have been dumped in this location. Bonnie Tancredi, executive director of Lenawee Humane Society, said they have not received many complaints of animal cruelty, but like many shelters have observed a marked increase recently in abandoned animals.
“We’re averaging at least one to two boxes per week,” Tancredi said. Some of the boxes have notes in them that say the pet’s owner had lost their job or home and can’t keep their pet. Most boxes contain multiple pets.
[PHOTO CREDIT: Linda Campbell, lenconnect.com]
The one kitty looks like my foster brother. His mom was dumped and he was born in the woods. Times are hard all around. Is it that hard to hold onto your pets if you love them so much? Dumping isn’t not even caring or trying to find homes(besides it’s cruel of course.)
my dad promised that we would find a way to take care of our cats (3) if he loses his job. (he works in a factory that makes parts for cars. he may suffer a $5 pay reduction due to the poor economy.) but he would sooner find someone to hold the cats until we could afford to take proper care of them. plus the turtle and the fish that i have. losing your job is no excuse to dump an animal on the roadside. better to find someone to keep them until you can take care of them. or look up the closest no kill shelter to take them to.
Those poor kitties. The man that stopped to check out the box deserves a medal! Why are people so cruel? Having those kitties euthanized would have been better than taping them up in a box and letting them die that way. I’m thankful they are alive and will hopefully find forever homes soon!
I am so glad someone stopped! And what horrible person thought that was better than having them euthanized?
Thank goodness he stopped to investigate! I don’t want to think of what would have happened. What is wrong with people? Our mom and dad said none of us are leaving no matter what happens financially. Mom told me when you accept the responsiblity for caring for an animal, you accept that for the life of the pet. Not if it is suddenly inconvenient or you dont want to spend time trying to find the pet a new home. I try to understand both sides, but as a cat I can only take the side of a cat. Try harder, people. Don’t just dump us and wash your hands of the situation. We have become accustomed to a certain standard of living as pets. Too bad you can’t sue for pet support!
We also cannot understand humans who take in animals but then dump them (oh so sadly-sarcasm) when things get really tough.
These people still believe that animals are inferior to humans. Until that changes, they should not have animals, just look & admire, but NO more!
And what does this lack of responsible & caring behaviour teach the young humans (children)?! Hissss!!
Lets put that person in an unescapable box and seal it shut!
This is so sad that people do these things, but good that another person cared enough to stop and get proper care for these kittens.
OMG that’s so sad. If you cannot keep your pet anymore, take them to a shelter. That is so cruel. I can’t understand how a person could do that
He should have looked sooner. I know it was furry good that he saved them, but he should have checked when he saw the box was still there a second day.
In a sane and compassionate society, there would be an APB out on this cretin and he would be prosecuted for attempted murder, which is what he (or she) did.
Thank God that at least these two precious kittens were rescued and that they are restored to health.
May everyone who hurts, abuses, abandons or worse, a cat, rot in hell.
I agreeeee soo much! A pet is not something to throw away when stuff gets rough…we are their tribe, their families, after all.
and thank God that there are wonderful people in the world, along with the rotten ones.