What to Know
- Nineteen cats were found in the rain Friday, and another nine were found in the heat Saturday.
- Among them are 22 kittens, some just days old and still nursing.
- After the cats are checked out by the veterinarian and get their shots, they will be put up for adoption next week.
More than two dozen cats were abandoned in bad weather outside a Maryland animal shelter without the shelter workers’ knowledge over the weekend.
Someone left 19 cats in crates outside the Greenbelt Animal Shelter in the rain Friday evening, according to Animal Control Officer Howard Stanback. Nine more cats were found in boxes in the heat Saturday.
“Luckily none of the animals was injured, but it could have been a really tragic situation,” said George Mathews of Greenbelt Police.
Among them are 22 kittens, some just days old and still nursing, said Stanback, who discovered the cats.
“My heart dropped,” he said. “I was terrified. I didn’t know how long they had been out there. It was raining Friday evening. I didn’t know the conditions of them. I didn’t know how many of them.”
The shelter is a no-kill shelter.
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“We don’t euthanize for space at all,” Stanback said. “We make every effort to adopt out an animal with the City of Greenbelt Animal Shelter.”
After the cats are checked out by the veterinarian and get their shots, they will be put up for adoption next week.
Anyone with information about who abandoned the cats should contact Greenbelt Police or Greenbelt Animal Control.
