7 kittens rescued from apparently abandoned home in northern B.C., SPCA says

Seven kittens have been rescued from an apparently abandoned home north of Prince George. (B.C. SPCA)

Seven kittens have been taken from "what appeared to be an abandoned home" in Fort St. James, B.C., according to the provincial SPCA.

An animal protection officer responded to the home to investigate a complaint about a dozen cats "that appeared to be neglected and possibly abandoned," the B.C. SPCA said in a news release Friday.

When the officer arrived, she found one of the windows at the front of the house had been broken, with glass strewn about the deck, the SPCA said.

"The officer could see garbage and objects strewn throughout the home through the broken window," said Eileen Drever, senior officer for protection and stakeholder relations for the B.C. SPCA.

When the officer yelled to make her presence known, a kitten jumped out of the broken window to greet her, the SPCA said. The first kitten was followed by several more, with a total of seven jumping out onto the broken shards of glass on the deck.

"The kittens followed her when she went back to her vehicle," said Drever. "The officer noticed a few of the kittens were drinking from a mud puddle in the middle of the driveway."

The animals took shelter under the officer's truck and under the porch when it began to rain, the SPCA said, adding that the house was close to traffic and "there was no visible food or water" set up for the kittens.

The officer took the kittens into SPCA care and transported them to the North Cariboo animal centre in Prince George. She also left an open bag of cat food for the adult cats in the home and a notice advising the building's owners that the kittens had been taken into the agency's care.

The SPCA said its investigation is ongoing.

"The kittens were extremely dirty when they arrived at the animal centre and riddled with fleas and worms," Drever said.

"After they were given flea medication, it took staff at the centre two hours to comb out all the dead fleas from their fur."

The kittens have also received deworming and parasite control medication, and are otherwise healthy, the SPCA said.

"They eat ravenously and are very rambunctious," Drever said. "They were particularly fond of a cat named Vinny who was in the same isolation room as them in Prince George. They loved it when staff let Vinny say hello through the kennel bars."

Now out of isolation, the kittens have been moved to the Tri-Cities animal centre in Coquitlam and are currently available for adoption, the SPCA said. 

After being rescued in northern B.C., the kittens are now available for adoption in the Lower Mainland. (B.C. SPCA)