Fragile, Be Kind to me Please! was written on the box used to drop off a kitten on the doorstep of a shelter filled to capacity and not accepting new animals this past Wednesday. The incident speaks volumes on the situation where there are many more homeless cats and kittens than people willing and able to care for them.
We hear and see that cats and kittens are dropped off, dumped and abandoned every day, at shelters, on the roadsides, in dumpsters and worse. The reasons for doing so range from heartbroken desperation to callous disregard and cruelty.
In this instance, the person leaving the kitten trusted that he would be quickly found and cared for by the shelter; which is what occurred.
The box was left at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in Riverside, CA, which shared the story with the public when they posted at their Facebook page on Friday:
“A ten-week-old orange and white tabby was left at our doorstep Wednesday morning. This is definitely not the way we like to receive our pets; in fact, our facility is completely full at the moment. We’re glad he is a healthy and adoptable so we have the opportunity to give this lil’ guy a second chance. After an essential round of vaccinations, de-worming, and flea treatment, little Nasa is now resting peacefully with a full belly in our feline holding ward awaiting neuter surgery. Stay tuned for details on when he will be available for adoption.”
Little Nasa found his way into shelter care, as have others left in similar circumstances. The kitten was reportedly hungry, thirsty and covered with fleas, but, thankfully, was found before he suffered from the heat of a summer’s day. The private non-profit shelter saves about 1,500 dogs and cats a year in a community where over 20,000 companion animals are or become homeless annually. As part of a plan to address the overwhelming surplus animal crisis, the adoption center will operate a low cost LifeLine Spay/Neuter Clinic on their grounds in 2013. You can click HERE to view a brochure on the program, which the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center put together with the help of the Humane Alliance’s National Spay/Neuter Response Team (NSNRT).
Little Nasa is one of the lucky ones, who was thoughtfully and carefully placed where he would be found and who was taken in by a shelter that does not dispose of healthy animals.
