You'll Never Guess What Was in the Cardboard Box

When
a woman driving along a muddy rural Virginia road stopped at an intersection,
she spotted a soggy, disintegrating cardboard box sitting on the shoulder.
Curious, she got out to investigate. Imagine her surprise when she opened the
box and saw nine pairs of eyes staring back at her.

She
called animal control officers to report the abandoned kittens but was told
that they “don’t handle cats,” an appalling but not uncommon policy
among rural animal control agencies (and also among a growing number of “no-kill” facilities). 

She
then called PETA to alert us to the kittens’ plight, and one of our stellar volunteers
immediately rushed to the scene an hour and a half away. Miraculously, the
kittens had not escaped from the box and been hit by a car.

The
kittens are now safely ensconced at PETA’s Sam Simon Center in Norfolk, Virginia, and stealing hearts right and left. They are about 6 weeks
old and, despite everything that they’ve been through, are friendly and playful
and appear to be in good health. They are mostly brown and gray tabbies and are
all 100 percent adorable.

Live
on or near the East Coast and want to adopt one (or two)? Drop us a line at [email protected]. The $75 adoption fee includes
spay/neuter surgery, vaccines, testing for feline
immunodeficiency virus and feline
leukemia virus, and microchipping.

What You Can Do

If
you ever see a box or bag on the side of the road, stop! You never know what—or
who—may be inside. And of course, stop to
help any strays you see running alongside the road as well. Keep a rescue
kit—including a cardboard carrier, leash, towel, and treats—in your car for just
such an emergency.

And
always, always, always spay
and neuter your animal companions, and urge everyone you know to do
the same. Cat homelessness
is at crisis levels, so it is vital that all cats be spayed and neutered, even
kittens (females can come into heat at just 4 months old) and cats who never go
outside (they can slip out accidentally). If a friend can’t afford the surgery
or has no car, offer to help with the cost and transportation. Cats need you—don’t let them down!