Two kittens were recently found dumped in a pine forest on the corner of the Glencoe/Kongorong turn-off.
A man not local to the area found the abandoned kittens in a cloth shopping bag when he was driving by and took them to the South East Animal Welfare League (SEAWL).
SEAWL Operations Coordinator Marica Perkovic said the kittens were just three to four weeks old when they were found.
“They were really hungry, dehydrated, covered in poo, they had diarrhoea,” Ms Perkovic said.
“The next day was 40 degrees so they would have perished, they would not have survived.
“They are friendly, they are not little ferals, they used the litter tray, they were someone’s cats.”
The kittens were put into foster care and the black male kitten, which weighed 443g when found, has now passed away however the tortoiseshell kitten, which weighed 322g when found, is still doing okay.
“She is tiny, but she is eating, she gets bottle fed, so she gets formula as a milk replacement from the mother,” Ms Perkovic said.
“It is still touch and go for her.
“She has got two people interested, so she is guaranteed a home.”
Ms Perkovic said cases of dumping such as this were less common than they once were, however dog dumping was everywhere.
“People just leave them in the streets and they have got no microchip and no one collects them,” she said.
“The dogs we receive, 80% we adopt to new owners including surrenders and 20% the owners come, the rest of the people do not turn up.”
Ms Perkovic said people dumped animals because they considered them to be disposable and did not care.
“They do not have a conscience, they just think, well, it’s not my problem anymore if I just leave it in a public place for someone to find,” she said.
Ms Perkovic said cats and dogs were a major commitment and it was important not to adopt a pet until ready for this commitment.
“Everyone has to be in agreement because it is emotional, financial, lifestyle changes, everything, it is just like a child but they have fur,” she said.
Ms Perkovic said if someone found an abandoned animal they could call the league and book in for a surrender and if the animal required medical assistance they could be taken to the vet.
“But they will have to take it into their care until we have got room for it, if it is a dog they call city council or district council, dogs are covered by council, cats are not,” she said.
“If they can take it into their care it is a great outcome and just wait until we are ready to take it in.”
Ms Perkovic said people not desexing their pets continued to be a major issue and urged people to be responsible.
“If people are not desexing their pets, and if they cannot afford to desex their animals, keep the cats inside, but people are just doing the wrong thing and it is just adding to the cat population,” she said.
