KITTENS STUFFED IN BAG - LEFT OUTSIDE TLC SHELTER

Submitted By:  Stephanie Stamoolis

August 19, 2016

It happened again! Working in a shelter is very emotional work. Days are filled with ups and downs. We rejoice when cats we love find amazing forever homes, and then there are days like today when we are filled with a mix of emotions.

Today someone left a duffle bag filled with 5 kittens on our doorstep. They were left when we were not open. Luckily for us one of of workers showed up early and found them.

They were covered in fleas, feces, urine, hungry, dehydrated and crammed in to a very small bag. Everyone here felt sad, frustrated, helpless, overwhelmed, and mad. We understand that people may feel overwhelmed and need help. What we don't understand is why they felt that they could not call us and ask for help, or stop in when we were open so that the kittens did not have to wait for help. We also understand that the people that do these horrible things are the minority. Our community is filled with kind animal loving people who make what we do possible.

Despite the strong emotions, our dedicated staff got to work caring for these kittens. They were given baths, flea medication, deworming medication, vaccinations, and much needed food and water. The kittens ran to the bowls and hurriedly ate and drank as much as they could. We have no idea how long they had been in that bag. It could have been as long as 12 hours. They were in such a small bag that they could not move and were stacked on top of each other. With this hot summer, they are lucky to be alive.

These sweet babies are now safe with us. They will never again have to go through another experience like this again. We will treat their illnesses and begin to teach them that they can trust humans again. We will find them loving forever homes. All of this comes at a cost. We estimate that it will cost us about $900 to help these kittens. We receive no funding from the government and rely solely on donations from the public.  

WATCH VIDEO ON CHANNEL 7 WKBW

DONATE TO THE "DUFFLE BAG KITTENS"

TLC RESCUES MAMA CAT SHOT IN NECK!

 
Sweet Darby is just one example of the many cases of cruelty & abuse that come through the doors of Ten Lives Club.

Darby, a female, came into our program with her baby kittens and went to one of our loyal and experienced foster homes. The foster home noticed a bump on her neck.

When Darby was spayed and under sedation, the bump was checked. A .22 bullet was taken out of Darby's neck!  Pictured below left is the .22 bullet removed from Darby's neck during surgery.

Pictured below right is the open wound.  Darby is on pain medication not only for her spay but also the wound which our vet left open to heal.  Once she is finished with her antibiotics to prevent infection, Darby will be available for adoption in about a week.

Poor Darby has been through so much yet even so, she is a sweet little thing and so trusting.  

PLEASE HELP US FIND SWEET DARBY THE LOVING FOREVER HOME SHE DESERVES!

 

CALL 716-646-5577 TO ADOPT DARBY!
TO DONATE TOWARDS HER CARE CLICK HERE!

MAMA CAT & 5 KITTENS FOUND IN DUCT TAPED BOX RESCUED BY TLC!

Mama cat CHELLE & her litter of 5 babies!

 
On Monday, July 20, Ten Lives Club volunteer Ken Lyon was helping TLC prepare for their upcoming garage sale.  He discovered a cardboard box sitting outside the Ten Lives Club donation bin that was sealed with duct tape. When he heard meowing noises coming from inside the box, he immediately took it inside the shelter. 

Ken started removing the duct tape and a cat's head popped up through the opening! Inside was a mama cat and her litter of 5 newborn kittens who had been sealed up tight and abandoned in the hot July heat.  Ken and other Ten Lives Club volunteers and staff were appalled!  Who could do such a thing?  Why didn't they surrender them to the shelter which was only a few yards away?  Instead, they shoved this poor mama cat and her babies into a cardboard box, duct taped it shut so there was no way to escape and left it by boxes of donated items like a piece of trash!  In the middle of JULY!

Dr. Fisk examined them and determined that the kittens were between 7 and 10 days old.  The mama cat and all of her babies were okay.  Thankfully, it appeared that they had been inside the box for about 15 minutes or less.  Had it been much longer on a hot 80 degree July day, the outcome would not have been so good.

WIVB Channel 4 and WGRZ Channel 2 did a wonderful job covering this heartbreaking story.  Both broadcast stations sent reporters to interview Marie Edwards - TLC President & Founder, Ken Lyon and Dr. Fisk the very same day.  

Ten Lives is so grateful for the kind donations and compassionate response for these sweet kitties thanks to WIVB and WGRZ! People from not only Western New York, but all over the United States have shown their support!  THANK YOU!

The mama cat - now named "Chelle" - and her 5 babies are being fostered by a seasoned Ten Lives Club volunteer.  Chelle will be available for adoption in a few weeks once her babies are weaned and she has been spayed.  Her babies will be available for adoption around the end of September.
 

Call 716-646-5577 for more information 

about adopting Chelle or her babies!

It will cost approximately $1,000 for Ten Lives Club to treat & prepare these kitties for adoption.

~PLEASE HELP US HELP THESE KITTIES!~

To make a donation for the "Duct Taped Box Kitties" 

CLICK HERE!

~CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES ON CHELLE & HER BABIES!~

KITTENS FOUND IN DUMPSTER BROUGHT TO TLC!

On Friday, May 15, 2015, Ten Lives Club received an urgent phone call from a local veterinarian we work with regularly.  Their clinic took in some newborn kittens and needed our help immediately.  

That morning, while emptying a dumpster in South Buffalo, employees from Modern Disposal found two plastic bags with FOUR newborn kittens inside.  These poor little babies still had their umbilical chords and the afterbirth was also in one of the bags!  The employees saw no sign of the poor Mother cat who had her babies ripped away from her as soon as she gave birth.  

Unfortunately, it was already too late for two of the newborns but somehow the other two were hanging on - barely.

Ten Lives Club brought the two surviving newborns to the shelter for immediate medical attention and care.  They were literally only HOURS old & needed fluids and round the clock feedings.  One of our wonderful foster volunteers stepped in to help.

Despite our best efforts and care, one newborn passed away on Saturday and the other one followed on Monday.

READ NEWS STORY HERE...AND HERE

What a cruel and irresponsible way of dealing with an unwanted litter of kittens.  

Ten Lives Club is deeply saddened and outraged about this unbelievable act of cruelty against these poor newborn babies and the Mama cat, who's whereabouts are unknown. 

These newborn kittens were bagged up & thrown away like pieces of TRASH!  Meanwhile, the Mama cat, if she's still alive, will continue to have litter after litter of unwanted kittens...

There is a simple solution to unwanted litters - 

SPAY & NEUTER!