Who would abandon a box of kittens in a cardboard box at a shelter without going up to the building or inside? Worse, who would abandon a box of kittens in a box in the shelter parking lot – in the rain? We’ll never be able to understand this kind of thing, but it happens all too often at rescues and shelters everywhere.
Recently, a video credited to Kings County Animal Services in Hanford, California, went viral on Instagram. Originally, the video came from the shelter’s TikTok, reaching over 1.9M views.
It’s unclear how many long the kittens huddled together in the box.
Images and media via TikTok/kingscoanimalservices
Box of Kittens Abandoned Feet Away from Door
“This morning, our shelter was greeted with a box of kittens abandoned in our parking lot,” states the caption.
What makes it even more frustrating is you can see the shelter’s phone and text numbers on a huge banner just feet away from the box. On the ground, the rain has soaked the pavement, and the cardboard box is open.
As someone opens the box, we see the brightest little blue eyes staring out from a blue blanket. Three beautiful but soaking kittens huddle together in the corner. Then, the shelter staff cares for the kittens and gets them cleaned up, comfortable, and dry.
“We quickly got these babies dried up and comfortable,” says the caption.
Please Don’t Abandon Animals
After the camera pans to the kennel where the kittens are resting, the shelter pleads, “Please don’t [abandon] animals.”
In the comments, people couldn’t understand what would motivate somebody to get so close yet far away from saving the kittens. Left alone, they were defenseless, and any number of calamities could have unfolded.
At least they left them near a shelter, some people said, trying to rationalize what took place. But, can there be any justification for this kind of apathy and cruelty? Not in the world we want to live in.
“The baby shaking made me literally cry🥺😭 i just don’t understand how anyone could just abandon them😭,” said one person.
Many people shared that sentiment because whoever left them seemed to have no empathy skills.
Wonderfully, many people wanted to adopt the kittens and even picked out names. In stories like this, it’s heartwarming to see how many kind people want to help, and they will go to great lengths. But a few bad apples sure make it challenging and cause so much unnecessary suffering.
See the TikTok below:
Rescuing Cats Abandoned by the Road
Fortunately, the story of the abandoned box of kittens had a happy ending, and the kittens will hopefully find a forever home together. Meanwhile, the shelter needed to rescue another cat and her kitten.
This time, they got a call saying “someone left kittens stuck in plastic on the road.” Arriving on the scene, they skillfully trapped the mama and kitten.
After taking them in, the shelter says, “they couldn’t be happier now.”
“Save a life…adopt,” they ask.
If you can’t adopt right now, there are numerous ways to help or donate to a shelter or rescue near you. And, neutering and spaying pets helps prevent furbabies from suffering and requiring rescue in the first place.
You can follow the Kings County Animal Services on TikTok for more.
