A family of cats is safe thanks to the actions of a man who found them abandoned in a box.

Two cats and their six kittens were found in the middle of the night in a community garden not far from Vancouver Animal Services.

But the facility was closed, so the man stayed with them through the night.

"He couldn't get any help. He stayed with them, trying to wrangle them, keep them there," said Karen Duncan, co-founder of the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association.

"As soon as the pound opened, he ran over there, got them to come over with kennels."

She said the man has since checked in on the kittens. Right now, VOKRA has more than 125 cats and kittens available for adoption.