At around 9:00 a.m. on December 5th, 32 cats were found abandoned in front of the gate of the BC SPCA’s Sunshine Coast Animal Centre, an animal protection organization in British Columbia (BC).
The BC SPCA announced this on December 18th. The cats were said to have been placed in plastic containers. According to a statement from the SPCA, staff and volunteers were working behind the building at the time of the incident and discovered the cats about 20 minutes after they were left behind. The plastic containers had been sealed with tape and contained multiple cats, one of whom was already dead.
“To my memory, we have never had so many animals abandoned at the BC SPCA’s animal centre,” centre manager Marika Donnelly said in a statement.
The centre only had six empty cages, and it took seven hours to assess the condition of the abandoned cats and set up temporary shelter space, she said. All cats have now completed their quarantine period, and some of them are now available for adoption. The remaining cats will also be available for adoption once they have been spayed or neutered. If you are forced to give up a pet, please call the BC SPCA’s Animal Helpline or speak to staff at an animal centre.