NEED TO KNOW
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Rescuers saved eight newborn kittens found in an abandoned shopping bag on a Conn. roadside
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Whiskers Pet Rescue said the kittens still had their umbilical cords attached, but their mom was not with them
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There’s an active animal cruelty investigation into the abandonment
Eight newborn kittens were found in a discarded shopping bag.
The kittens were taken to Whiskers Pet Rescue in Southbury, Conn., on Saturday, April 4, after being found in the nearby town of Seymour. The animal rescue said in a Facebook post that the kittens still had their umbilical cords attached, but their mom was not seen with them.
The kittens were “thrown out like garbage,” according to Whiskers Pet Rescue, which added that it is working around the clock to care for the little felines.
Abandoned newborn kittens at Whiskers Pet Rescue
Credit: Whiskers Pet Rescue/Facebook
“That’s a lot of kittens to bottle feed every couple of hours, but one of our longtime bottle feeder fosters took on this huge and sometimes heartbreaking job. It’s hard to save babies this little without the mom, but we are definitely trying,” the animal rescue wrote.
Whiskers Pet Rescue said the kittens cannot be adopted until they are 9 to 10 weeks old.
Woodbridge Regional Animal Control stated there’s an active animal cruelty investigation into the abandonment incident.
The agency said the kittens “were nearly frozen to death” when they were found discarded on the side of a road.
One of the abandoned newborn kittens at Whiskers Pet Rescue
Credit: Whiskers Pet Rescue/Facebook
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Local nonprofit Desmond’s Army Animal Law Advocates said in a Facebook post on Monday, April 6, that it is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identification of the person responsible for “this act of cruelty and abandonment.”
“Abandoning eight helpless newborns to die in the cold is an act of pure cruelty that cannot go unpunished,” Desmond’s Army president and co-founder, Zilla Cannamela, said in a statement. “Desmond’s Army is offering this reward to incentivize an arrest and swift prosecution. Whoever is responsible should feel the full weight of the law.”
The nonprofit also stated that, per Whiskers Pet Rescue, the kittens are “doing well so far.”
Whiskers Pet Rescue has raised over $300 in a fundraiser for the care of the newborn kittens. It is also looking for additional kitten bottle feeders for future emergencies.
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