Several cats are expected to be OK and available for adoption after good Samaritans found them abandoned inside a dog crate.
Video provided by the Humane Society of Broward County showed the cats squished together inside the small crate.
Officials there say good Samaritans made the disturbing discovery on a dirt road near Broadview Park, finding 17 cats, including some kittens as young as 8 weeks old and others as old as 4 years.
Staff at the Humane Society described the conditions the cats were found in as “heartbreaking” and “unsafe.”
Veterinarians got to work administering care to the cats and kittens who, they say, weighed only one pound. Some of those kittens were so unhealthy and underfed, veterinary staff said, that it was nearly impossible to evaluate them.
“It is heartbreaking, and it’s really sad. They were crammed in there. It’s just, you know, there are resources; if you can’t take care of your pets, please don’t abandon them like this. If these cats had not been found and sat there all day today in the heat, it would’ve been horrific,” said Humane Society of Broward County’s vice president of marketing, Cherie Watcher.
Staff said the vulnerable kittens will be placed under the care of experienced volunteer foster parents, who will care for them until they are well enough to be put up for adoption.
According to vets, some of the older cats have been nursed back to good health and are available for adoption.
If you are interested in adopting any of these cats or any other animals at the Humane Society of Broward County, click here.