Stratford, WI (OnFocus) Four kittens are safe after being abandoned in an empty dumpster in Stratford overnight.
Christine Pemble, owner of C&M Crossroads, discovered the kittens near her business at around 7 a.m. Thursday morning.
“When I took my dogs out this morning for a walk, [the kittens] heard the door shut and they started scratching around and meowing,” she said. “I thought it was a cat at first.”
The kittens appeared to be from the same litter and are estimated to be 2-3 months old. Pemble said they weren’t there at midnight and were likely dropped off sometime in the early morning hours. At first curled up together, once they heard their rescuer the kittens began to run around, meowing loudly and attempting to escape.
“I know they were somebody’s pets,” Pemble said. “They ran around when I got in but I was able to pet them.”
She attempted to call local police departments, which were not able to assist. Marshfield Area Pet Shelter was also unable to help, having taken in more than 70 intakes this month so far, many from outside of city limits. Due to Pemble’s business schedule, transporting the kittens to the Marathon County shelter was not practical.
Luckily a friend, who lives on a farm, came to the rescue. “I knew she was the person to call,” Pemble said. “She said, ‘I’ll be right down,’ and she was!”
Together they put the kittens — two black, one tiger-striped, and one Siamese christened “Chester” — into a covered laundry basket to prevent their escape. From there, her friend transported the kittens to her farm, where they’ll continue to be fed and cared for with the other cats, some of which have been spayed and neutered.
Pemble is glad she found the kittens before it was too late, especially given the high heat index, which would have made the dumpster unbearably hot, and that the kittens weren’t left on the road to be run over. However, she prefers that people explore humane ways to re-home pets instead of abandoning them in the dumpster.
Spaying and neutering is the number one way to prevent unwanted litters of kittens. Those who wish to re-home a pet are encouraged to visit: https://rehome.adoptapet.com/list-a-pet/step-1. MAPS will also list courtesy posts for anyone looking for a new home or location for unwanted litters, and has a barn cat program.
Author: News Desk
This piece was posted by our news team! Contact us or submit stories at [email protected].
