A trio of kittens was put in a bag and dumped into a trash compactor in Ocala, Florida. Fortunately, as workers were about to compact the trash, they heard mewing noises coming from inside. Then, two cat rescuers who were on the scene by chance took it from there.
“A group of kittens was rescued from the Jaws of Death, literally after being dumped in a trash compactor at a recycling center,” said WCJB’s Paige Beck.
Each kitten was around six-months-old, and beautiful. Two of the cats are orange tabbies, while another is a tuxedo, black and white. Below, you can see the trash compactor. Then, see the kittens which all narrowly escaped just in time.
Cat Rescuers at the Right Place and Time
Amy Shows and a friend, both involved with a North Central Florida Cat Rescue, just happened to be on the scene of the recycling center that day. There was no time to spare as the workers were just about to push the button to compact the trash.
“We kind of noticed that people were frantically going through the trash compactor,” said Shows. “And, were’ like, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ Stepped out, said, ‘Hey, what’s happening? And they said somebody tossed kittens in the trash compactor and we were about to press the button.”
Amy Shows who works for the rescue just happened to be at Newton’s Recycling Center when she noticed a commotion. Workers were frantically trying to pull kittens out of a pile of material about to be compacted. https://t.co/q07AmiNYtL
— WCJB TV20 News (@WCJB20) August 19, 2021
The Rescuers Get the Kittens Out of the Trash Compactor
Then, Shows and her friend helped get the kittens out of the trash compactor.
“So, they stopped everything. They had already gone out of the bag they were crawling throughout everything, so we said, ‘Hey, we’re both in rescue. We’ve both done this before. So, we went in and we got them,” said Shows.
Of all people who could have found the kittens, she had the skills needed to save the dehydrated and stressed cats.
“A friend helped me get them out. We brought them home and I had to do fluids, had to get them cooled down. They were panting, malnourished,” she told WESH2. “It will take some time to get them back,” Shows said. “They seem lively now that the fluids have hit. Now they’re up and moving around.”
Following plenty of fluids and treatment for fleas, Show said, “They’re doing good,” she said.
Now the cats are moving around and recovering with no more fleas. In the video, Shows sits with the cats giving them affection. (See video at WCJB20.)
Why Would Someone Dump Them in a Trash Compactor?
It’s unbelievable that someone would dump the kittens in a trash compactor like so much rubbish. As Show said, they could have taken the kittens to any vet’s office. It’s impossible to fathom how someone could have been so cruel.
“The vet would have probably called Animal control, they would have been taken to the County shelter – better than this,” she said.
A woman and her friend helped save three kittens after someone put them in a compactor. Workers said they were about the press the button when they heard a noise. https://t.co/6uSG6iuoJM
— WCJB TV20 News (@WCJB20) August 20, 2021
A Foster Home with a Veterinarian
After their rescue, the trio of kittens were fortunate to find a foster home with a veterinarian, reports WCJB20.
When they are fully recovered, the kittens will be up for adoption soon. It seems meant to be that the cat rescuers happened upon the kittens at just the right time.
Three kittens dumped in trash compactor rescued by workers in Ocala https://t.co/jGEyVO67KL
— WESH 2 News (@WESH) August 19, 2021
Images: Screenshots via WCJB20 News