Animal advocates are hoping the deaths of four newborn kittens found frozen on a property in Metro Vancouver this week will serve as a reminder to cat owners to have their pets spayed or neutered.
The kittens' mother snuck into an outdoor laundry room at a Surrey home Tuesday night to escape the snow before giving birth to a litter of five.
Sadly, the room wasn't heated, and by the time someone found the tiny kittens it was too late for most of them.
"Four were frozen to death," said Maria Soroski, co-founder of the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association.
The gloomy story is a stark reminder that cats must be fixed, Soroski added. Cats are supposed to be spayed at five months, and the mother, which is believed to be lost or abandoned, is at least a year old.
"Unfortunately, this is what happened to her. She had nowhere to give birth… and her babies died because of it," Soroski said.
There is a silver lining on the story, however. The mother managed to keep one kitten warm by sitting on it, and the pair was rescued to a VOKRA shelter where their outlook is good.
Soroski said the kitten is chubby and feeding, and the mother, though thin and ragged, has a ravenous appetite.
"She ate a whole can of food last night and two cans of food this morning," Soroski said.
VOKRA takes in anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 stray and feral cats per year, but there are estimated to be tens of thousands of others wandering the streets of Surrey.
That problem is only made worse when people refuse to spay or neuter their pets, and when they simply abandon them rather than dropping them off at a shelter.
Anyone who needs information on spaying or neutering can reach out to VOKRA, Soroski said, and its volunteers will point them in the right direction.
"We can help you," she said.
