Kittens left in boxes outside Gilbert’s rescue, two die | Arizona News

GILBERT, AZ (3TV / CBS 5) – Two boxes of kittens were found sealed with duct tape outside an animal rescue in Gilbert on Tuesday, two of them have succumbed to the heat and the other three are recovering from heat-related issues. “Our hope in bringing this to the public is that they will get the message that they may not have had bad intentions, but it did not have a happy ending for these kittens and certainly not for our volunteers. “said Barb Savoy, director of public relations for Friends for Life Animal Rescue.

Savoy says it’s not the first time they’ve discovered boxes like this on the property. She says about once a week for six weeks someone left a box with some adult cats or kittens. Each time, it is at a different location on the property. “Always the U-Haul box, always the taped note, always typed, always the information and always a call to help them find good homes,” said Savoy. “We don’t expect anyone to have bad intentions. We were actually open for our regular business hours Tuesday when these guys were dropped off, so we don’t know why they didn’t just walk into the building.”

Savoy says the two boxes of kittens dropped off on Tuesday were left on the side of the building between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. By the time they were found, two were already dead and the rest were clinging to life.

“They were very wet. They were very panicked. They were crying, obviously very, very loud. They had diarrhea at the time, and really their systems were starting to shut down. We were glad to have found them when we did. ‘did because we think we probably got them just in time, “said Savoy.” Nothing prepares you to open a box and have two dead kittens inside. “

Savoy says the surviving kittens had a body temperature of 105 degrees – normal for a kitten would be around 100. They were immediately given fluids and the volunteers lowered their body temperatures. “It wasn’t until several hours later that they started eating and drinking on their own and we were really happy to see that,” Savoy said.

The surviving kittens are now in foster care and will be considered “out of the woods” in about a week. For more information on how you can adopt them, or another dog or cat, you can visit the Friends for Life Animal Rescue website.

Savoy says if you have to abandon a pet with the rescue, they have an admissions process and are happy to help. “We won’t just turn you away. We’ll help you find a place if we can’t accommodate them,” Savoy said.

Friends for Life Animal Rescue filed a police report with the Gilbert Police Department. Gilbert police say the kittens were left in an area that did not have surveillance cameras, and as a result, they have no information on who may have left these boxes. Gilbert police also say whoever did this could face animal cruelty charges, but they don’t have enough information yet. If anyone has any information relating to this incident, please report it to the Gilbert Police Non-Emergency Line.