Langley’s animal shelter has again taken in cats that were found abandoned and boxed up in public.
A staff member’s aunt found the latest additions to the shelter recently when she saw two pet crates sitting on the side of the road in South Langley.
“She thought it was kind of strange,” said Sean Baker, who manages the Patti Dale Animal Shelter.
The second time she drove by, the woman checked the crates, on the off chance that there were animals inside. Sure enough, she found a cat and a kitten in one and another cat in the other.
The woman immediately brought all three cats into the shelter, where they are now all doing well, said Baker.
“Luckily it wasn’t too hot, and luckily they weren’t hit by vehicles,” Baker said.
No food or water had been left in the cat crates. “Nothing,” said Baker.
Over the past year the Langley Animal Protection Society has taken in a number of cats found in cardboard boxes or Rubbermaid containers at various locations.
If people can’t bring in animals, LAPS will got and collect them, Baker said. There’s no need to abandon animals.
Just before that, LAPS took in another set of cats. When a housebound Langley woman took in a stray, she quickly found out it was pregnant and in labour.
The woman called for LAPS while the cat had two kittens in her house. At LAPS, the cat had two more kittens.
Just hours later, six one-day-old orphaned kittens were brought in.
Because bottle-feeding the six extra kittens would have been difficult, the new mom cat was recruited to act as a surrogate mother. She took on the care of all 10 kittens.
“We’re pretty full,” said Baker of the number of cats and kittens in the shelter now. “Hopefully this is the last of the kitten season.”
LAPS is currently working towards building a new facility dubbed the ISOasis, an isolation facility for new cats and kittens.
Design work is taking a little longer than expected, said Baker.
“There is no other example out there,” he said.
Construction is expected to start early in 2016, with Langley Township taking on 40 per cent of the costs.