A Box Full of Kittens

This is what Kris, our Dog Coordinator, found sitting next to the recycling bins earlier this week.

A box. Taped shut. Labeled "Mom 3 Kittens". There was a second box, also labeled - "Kittens".

Upon closer inspection (the picture was taken after closer inspection) I found a total of five kittens, about three months old, and a mama cat about a year old.

Six cats. Abandoned outside in sealed cardboard boxes.

Kittens 1 and 2 on their way to BACS

Mom and 3 kittens, headed to BACS

I'm struggling to figure out how anybody could think this was the right thing to do with six lives they could not, or would not, be responsible for anymore.

There are much more responsible ways to go about relinquishing an animal. Maybe the person who placed these cats in cardboard boxes, carefully sealed and labeled them, and then left them on the side of the cold, rainy street doesn't know this.

So let's use this blog as an opportunity to educate.

What to do if you don't want to care for an animal anymore.

• Take said animal to your municipal animal shelter. If you live in Berkeley, go to Berkeley Animal Care Services, don't drive 5 towns over in the hopes that nobody will recognize you. Go to the municipal animal shelter that serves your area. Don't go to a rescue organization like BEBHS - we'll just tell you to go to your animal shelter.
• Go inside.
• Speak to the person behind the front desk.
• Hand over the animal.
• Sign whatever paperwork they need you to sign.
• Pay whatever fee they need you to pay. If you can't pay, they'll still take your animal - just remember, caring for this animal will not be cheap for the animal shelter; your fee will help offset the cost of its care just a teeny-tiny bit.
• Go home and know that you did the responsible thing.

If you're worried that surrendering your animal to the municipal animal shelter increases its chances of being euthanized, remember that abandoning your animal on the street increases its chances of meeting a much crueler end.

Please, be responsible with your pets.