Outrage as cat and kittens dumped at retail park bin

Sealed in a cardboard box and left to die…

If it wasn’t for the actions of a curious maintenance man, this cat and her litter of tiny kittens would have perished at the M1 Retail Park on Thursday.

At first glance, the man thought it had been left behind as rubbish destined for the bin, but when he lifted it to throw it in the dumpster, he heard a feint noise and quickly realised it was anything but rubbish.

Upon opening the box, this little family was found clinging to their mum.

A spokesperson for Drogheda Animal Rescue (DAR), which looks after stray and unwanted cats and dogs in the area, said whoever did this was a “disgrace and should be ashamed of themselves”.

“We don’t know why people do this. What goes through their heads when such disregard for life is displayed for innocent and helpless animals?” said an upset volunteer.

“These are not stray cats or feral cats; these are pets, very friendly and gentle. Mammy is believed to be a British Short Hair cross, and the kittens are estimated to be about sixweeks old.”

The group has praised the staff at a nearby pet store, who looked after the abandoned cats until they could collect them.

“We would really like to thank the staff at Maxi Zoo Ireland in the retail park in Drogheda for alerting DAR and moving the little family into their grooming room until we could get there. You guys are fantastic,” she added.

“And, without the maintenance man thinking twice about the discarded box he picked up and raising the alarm, this little family would have ended up dead sealed in that box”.

DAR is a voluntary organisation which relies solely on donations to continue their work of almost 30 years.

Contact – Post: Drogheda Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 159, Drogheda, Co Louth. Email: admin@dar.ie. Phone: 041 983 2418 or visit the Facebook Page – Drogheda Animal Rescue.