When staff at a veterinary clinic in the U.K. discovered a rectangular planter box sitting outside their door, they had no idea what was inside.
The box had been wrapped in plastic and duct-taped, with just a few holes poked through the top.
There was a note attached. “Cat & 3 kids,” it read. “Found on side road.” A phone number was also scrawled on the paper.
When staff looked inside, they quickly realized the note was misleading. The box didn’t contain one cat and three kittens, but three pregnant adult cats crammed together inside the sealed container.
No one knows how long the cats had been trapped inside the planter, although rescuers think they may have been left inside there overnight. When staff tried calling the number on the note, it didn’t
work.
Sarah Avison, cat care manager at Yorkshire Cat Rescue, one of the groups involved in helping the cats, said she was horrified to imagine what the cats had gone through.
“To be squished into a planter — even when you’re not pregnant — must be awful,” Avison told The Dodo. “It must have been distressing for the three cats.”
Avison said she also couldn’t stop thinking about what could have happened if the cats had managed to escape before anyone found them.
“What if they’d scratched their way out?” Avison said. “Maybe they’d end up giving birth outside or being run over.”
Yorkshire Cat Rescue took in two of the cats — Charlie and Cherry — while another rescue group agreed to care for the third.
And not long after arriving at the rescue, both moms gave birth.
Charlie welcomed four kittens: Augustus, Josephine, Oompa and Loompa. Cherry later gave birth to two kittens: Wonka and Humbug.
“We've gone for a 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' theme with the kittens’ names,” said Avison with a laugh.
Despite everything they’d been through, the cats are doing remarkably well. They have also moved into a foster home, where they’ll stay until the cats and kittens are ready to be adopted.
“Cherry’s a little bit more reserved, and obviously they’ve been through a lot,” Avison said. “But they’re settled in really well and they’re eating well. We’ve got no concerns health-wise with them. They’re lovely.”
For Avison, helping with the rescue of Charlie and Cherry has been emotional but rewarding.
“It’s nice to show them that not all humans would shove a cat in a box,” Avison said.
