This past Labor Day, a Queens, New York, resident was passing by a local animal hospital when he noticed something unusual by the front doors. There was some kind of animal crate or carrier sitting outside under the hot sun, but he knew the animal hospital was closed.
As he approached, he saw two adult cats crammed inside a small container. There was no note or anything explaining why they were there, but it quickly became clear that they’d been dumped.
“[They were] in a tiny playpen that’s just made for kittens,” Natali Acosta, cofounder of NatSavesCats, told The Dodo.
The cats were disoriented and terrified. No one had any idea how long they’d been sitting there, trapped inside their container, unable to escape the disorienting sights and sounds of the city.
“[They were] right underneath where a train passes by above, so it’s a super loud and dangerous intersection,” Acosta said.
The man who came across the cats reached out to Acosta, who luckily lives close by and was over there in no time. She was surprised by how the cats didn’t protest being picked up and brought back to Acosta’s apartment.
“It was so easy to just scoop them up,” Acosta said. “They were super friendly, very sweet cats, just completely shut down.”
After examining both cats, Acosta realized that the female, named Liberty, had recently given birth to kittens. She pieced together that Liberty’s pregnancy most likely had something to do with how the kittens ended up being abandoned.
“You could tell that they had a home and they were accustomed to people,” Acosta said. “These were not feral cats.”
Liberty and Chance, the male cat, have been staying with Victoria, Acosta’s rescue partner, for the past couple of days. While Liberty has been coming out of her shell more and more, Chance is still feeling pretty nervous and reserved.
“Once you pet him for a little bit, he perks up,” Acosta said.
Now that both cats have been fixed and vetted, NatSavesCats is looking for a long-term foster or adopter for Liberty and Chance. After everything they’ve been through, they deserve a family that will finally make them feel safe and loved.
“They really need a home where they can feel loved and cared for,” Acosta said.
