One of the rescued kittens enjoys the playful surroundings at the Keysborough Animal Shelter. Picture: Stewart Chambers.
By Glen Atwell
A RELAXING stroll on a warm summer’s night turned into an emergency animal rescue for Hampton Park resident Justine Schliefart.
Ms Schliefart, 19, discovered 10 kittens dumped and gasping for air in a plastic garbage bag near George Knowles reserve last Thursday night.
“The temperature had reached 40 degrees that day. Luckily I wasn’t too late, all the kittens were still alive,” she said.
Ms Schliefart said she heard quiet meowing coming from the garbage bag, which had been tightly tied, as she walked past.
“Then it started moving and I knew something was wrong,” she said.
“It was sad to see all the little faces peering up at me. I can’t believe someone could just dump live animals like that.”
Quickly returning home, Ms Schliefart offered the scared kittens some water and food, before transporting the felines to the Keysborough Animal Shelter (KAS).
“There were so many of them, and by the time I finally got them down to the shelter, they were quite distressed,” she said.
The kittens are now in quarantine and suffered no life-threatening injuries, according to staff at the shelter.
KAS president Christine Giles said the shelter would host a cat adoption day this Saturday in the hope of saving the lives of some of the 3500 cats it receives annually.
Ms Giles said the shelter was on track to receive more cats than last season because people were still failing to desex their animals.
Keysborough Animal Shelter’s Cuddly Cats Adoption Day is this Saturday from 10am-3.30pm at 10 Homeleigh Road, Keysborough.
