A man was out for a walk in Birmingham, England, when he noticed a pile of boxes and carriers abandoned in an alleyway between a bakery and a shop. He went to take a closer look and discovered 26 cats and kittens sealed up inside. Immediately, he sprang
into action.
“The finder said that when he came across them, many were lethargic and appeared to be struggling to breathe in the boxes,” Paul Nijjar, an animal rescue officer with the RSPCA, said in a press release.
The man freed the cats who were trapped in the boxes, made sure they were all safe in the carriers and called the RSPCA for help. Two of the kittens, now named Maude and Mr. Gold, were rushed straight to Birmingham Animal Hospital to receive treatment for fleas, anemia and dehydration. Both are healing well and on the road to recovery.
The other 24 were taken into the care of the RSPCA. Despite their ordeal, they were all mostly OK and bounced back quickly.
“This is an incredibly cruel way to treat [defenseless] cats and kittens,” Nijjar said. “We know people are struggling, but there are ways to get help. We are so grateful to the person who found these felines and for getting them help as soon as possible.”
The cats and kittens were found abandoned near a busy street in the middle of the day, and the RSPCA is reviewing CCTV footage in the area to see if they can figure out what happened.
The RSPCA has seen a 67 percent increase in multi-cat rescues over the last year. The charity took in 20,000 cats in 2025 and are expected to surpass that number in 2026. Rescuers everywhere are stretched thin, but they refuse to stop helping.
Thanks to the Good Samaritan who found the cats, they’re all safe now and will be up for adoption as soon as they’re ready.
