Nine cats are in the care of the BC SPCA after they were found trapped in storage bins left outside in northern B.C.
Left on a vacant property, the SPCA's North Cariboo and District branch said they received a call from the property manager after they heard the cats meowing from the bins. Inside, were two kittens and seven adults aged three and younger.
The cats had been trapped in the bins for days without food or water. Breathing holes had been punched through the lid and because the property was vacant at the time, it's not known who was responsible for abandoning the cats.
The property manager took the cats to a vet, and they only scored a one out of nine on the body condition scale.
"These cats were starving, and matted with feces and urine," said Alex Schare, animal centre services manager in a news release.
"Some of the adult cats would not have lived much longer and will require a refeeding plan to slowly reintroduce their bodies to food."
Some of the cats' fur was so badly matted that they had to be shaved.
"Despite everything they have been through, all of the cats are vocal and friendly," Schare said.
A Vancouver organization says it's seeing more cats abandoned each month than it used to when it began two decades ago. In fact, another box of cats was found in Vancouver over the weekend by a homeless man who stayed with them through the night, until an animal shelter opened.
Anyone with information about these cats is asked to call the BC SPCA’s toll-free hotline at 1-855-622-7722.
