As horrendous as this abandonment is - God BLESS the angels that are looking after them.


Many Offer Help For Abandoned Cats



THREE KITTENS and their mother, found abandoned along with 26 other cats in Cromwell, sit comfortably in a cage at Catales, an animal rescue organization in Middletown. A passer-by found three pet carriers in a parking lot on Shunpike Road packed with 30 cats -- 27 kittens and three mother cats. Fifteen of the cats are at Catales awaiting adoption. Fifteen others are being cared for in foster homes, also awaiting adoption. The kittens range in age from about 3 weeks to about 4 months. (CLOE POISSON / May 7, 2008)

By JODIE MOZDZER | Courant Staff Writer
May 8, 2008


CROMWELL — - A day after 30 cats were found crying, hungry and covered in feces in a parking lot, Animal Control Officer Cheryl Gagnon has been inundated with adoption offers and questions about donations.

What's missing is any information about how the cats got to the parking lot of the shopping plaza on Shunpike Road, near the intersection of Route 372. They were found near the entrance to the plaza, and close to a KFC restaurant. There were three adult cats and 27 kittens left in three separate crates, Gagnon said. She received a call from someone who spotted the cats at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

"When I looked at them, I was appalled," Gagnon said.

The cats had been left in the sun without food or water, and Gagnon estimated they had been there for one to two days. One of the crates was so large it took two people to lift it into Gagnon's van. The police department is hoping someone who might have seen a person unloading the crates will call with information to aid the investigation. The person or people who left the cats could face animal cruelty charges for abandonment, Gagnon said.


Volunteer Sue Ewanowski of Middletown latches a cage after refilling food bowls for two of the kittens who were found abandoned in Cromwell Tuesday at Catales, an animal rescue organization in Middletown. (CLOE POISSON / May 7, 2008)

By Wednesday afternoon, Gagnon had already received more than 30 applications from people seeking to adopt the cats, and had fielded dozens of calls asking how people can donate food or money. The police department keeps a Special Needs for Pets fund, which helps with animals found by the animal control officer. Any donations made specifically for the cats will help offset the costs of housing them and giving them medical treatment before homes can be found.

In about a week, 15 kittens will be ready for adoption. The 12 younger kittens will be ready in seven weeks, Gagnon said. Foster families are caring for the adult cats and the young kittens for now. Fifteen kittens are being housed at Catales Inc. in Middletown, a nonprofit cat rescue organization.

To help, contact Gagnon at 860-635-2256, or at [email protected].

Contact Jodie Mozdzer at [email protected].