Good Samaritans save cats inside crate dumped on Palm Bay road

PALM BAY, Fla. – Good Samaritans saved an abandoned kitten dumped and left to die on the side of the road in Palm Bay. 

Thankfully, the little cat is recovering and has a new home, but shelters are bracing for more abandoned pets like this during the holidays.

The recent save happened on Emerson and Lamplighter Drive when a driver tragically watched two kittens dart into the road and get run over by a car. A third wasn’t far behind, but the driver jumped out as fast as she could to help. 

“The kittens were put in the guinea pig cage and dumped on the side of the road,” said Alice Hayes, who’s now fostering the baby cat. 

In total, three babies were left behind, and only one made it out alive. Hayes is helping to wean the 4-week-old kitten before she heads to her new home.

“Those two other kittens could have found a home within a half an hour if they had just handed them to somebody,” said Hayes. 

Pet surrenders and pet dumping like this is a growing problem over the holidays. 

“Working in a shelter, you see it every day. We constantly have people reaching out to surrender pets,” said Shelby Montgomery of the SPCA of Brevard. 

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The SPCA of Brevard and shelters all across the country are prepping for more pets to come into their care around Christmas. Last year, 245,000 pets nationwide were abandoned during the holidays and went into the shelter system, according to Shelter Animals Count.

“People are just cruel. I mean, they are. They don’t think,” said Hayes. 

Thankfully, Lindy the kitty isn’t headed to a shelter or somewhere worse. 

“Something would have gotten them, coyote, bobcat or hawk,” added Hayes, who knows the cats in the crate didn’t have much time. 

She’s safe because someone spotted her, and all the animals still at the shelter hope they’ll have a new home for the holidays. 

“If you can foster a pet or even if you can be a monthly hero at $5 a month, that helps us prepare for anything that could happen,” concluded Montgomery. 

Animal rescues all across Central Florida are bracing for this holiday surge of dumped or abandoned pets. Everyone can help by making sure they adopt and not shop. At the SPCA in Brevard, it’s only $25 to adopt a new pet right now. 

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