Case Details

Cat and kittens found in garbage bag
Litchfield, CT (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Sep 30, 2004
County: Litchfield
Local Map: available
Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case ID: 2777
Classification: Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation, Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: cat
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A family of cats was found Thursday trapped in a tied plastic garbage bag in the White Memorial Foundation, near the intersection of Bissell Road and Whites Woods Road, by David and Janice Haas of Bethlehem, who were taking their morning walk and heard meows coming from the woods.

On Friday, the kittens and their mom were resting comfortably at Northwest Corner Veterinary Hospital in Litchfield, where the staff was preparing them for the next step in their lives: adoption into good homes.

"I think they will all do terrific," said one of the hospital's veterinarians, Christine Shupenis. "The difference in one day is amazing. They look so much better."

Homes for the kittens, two females and one male, have already been found, according to the hospital staff. The kittens, like their mother, are gray and black tabbies and, after sleeping most of the day and night Thursday, had regained enough energy for a playful romp Friday afternoon.

Before joining their new families, the kittens will remain at the hospital for a few more days of rest in preparation for a series of vaccinations. They are believed to be about two months old. Their mother, no more than two-years-old, weighs just five pounds and is unable to nurse her kittens. She appears to have been neglected, but is friendly with hospital staff and visitors.

"She is just so sweet," Shupenis said of the mother. "As tired as she was, she still groomed the kittens after we finished treating them."

The Haases found the black plastic bag about 10 feet off the road. It was full of tiny holes the felines had made with their claws, giving them just enough air to breathe, and smelled awful, Janice Haas said. How long the felines were stuck in the bag could not be determined.

"Thank God we heard the meows and found the bag," Haas said. "The smell was so bad, so we thought there might be some dead ones in there."

Without opening the bag, the Haases took it to the office at White Memorial and staff there called Litchfield's animal control officer, Tracie Dzurnak. Dzurnak directed the couple to the Northwest Corner Veterinary Hospital.

It wasn't until the bag was opened at the hospital that it was known what was inside.

"They were covered in feces and urine, their fur was matted and it was clear they were undernourished," Shupenis said. "But we got them cleaned up and treated for fleas and worms. They were exhausted and hungry but were OK otherwise."

Janice Haas and her husband visited the hospital Friday morning.

Reached for comment Friday night, Haas said she finds it hard to believe that someone would resort to disposing the animals.

"The people that threw that bag out there definitely wanted the cats to suffocate," Haas said. "How could anyone be so callous?" According to Dzurnak, the person or persons responsible for abandoning the cats could be arrested on charges of abandonment, cruelty and neglect. Anyone with information is asked to call Dzurnak at (860) 567-5681, ext. 3.

"It is unusual to finds cats dumped in a bag," Dzurnak said. "It's obvious they wanted them to suffocate, which is a decision I can't comprehend. I would like to find who did this and see them arrested."

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References

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