An Indianapolis animal shelter is sharing a heartbreaking — but hopeful — story after a family of 10 cats was found abandoned in a cardboard box outside its building.
Earlier this week, IndyHumane posted photos on Facebook showing the cats huddled together inside the box, clinging to one another for comfort.
The discovery happened just as staff members were getting ready to close for the evening. According to the shelter, a volunteer walking a dog noticed a car pull into the parking lot. The driver reportedly left a box near a dumpster and drove away.
Inside were three adult cats, two adolescents and five tiny kittens.
“They were clearly loved, well fed, social, and used to people. And now, understandably, a little confused about how they ended up here,” the shelter wrote. “If that volunteer hadn’t walked by when they did, we might not have found them until much later.”
Instead of reacting with anger, the shelter took a compassionate approach, addressing the person who left the cats behind.
“We know choices like this usually come from a place of desperation. Please hear us: we are not here to judge you. We are here to help you and the animals you love,” the post continued. “If you’re struggling, come talk to our Pet Resource Center. We may not always be able to solve things immediately, but we promise our team will work with you and do everything we can as soon as we’re able.”
Thankfully, all 10 cats are now safe. The kittens have been split between two mother cats, and the shelter confirmed that every animal will be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped before being put up for adoption.
A spokesperson for IndyHumane said staff and volunteers jumped into action as soon as the cats were found.
“Our goal is to always have a conversation with patrons so that it doesn’t have to come to a difficult decision like what happened,” the spokesperson said. “We want to support pets and their people in any way we can. These cats are all doing extremely well and have been getting loved on constantly.”
The story quickly gained traction online, earning thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.
Many people were moved by the cats’ calm demeanor in the photos.
“Sometimes we want to just yell about how awful humans are to abandon them, but you can see here these babies were loved and cared for,” one commenter wrote. “I’m not saying it’s the right way to surrender them, but they didn’t just leave them in the woods. They made sure the box was big enough and that they were all together.”
Another joked about how surprisingly peaceful the group looked.
“I’m amazed they got 10 cats in one box and that they look so calm,” one user wrote. “When I try to put any of my cats into a carrier it’s like wrangling a tiny demon with razor sharp talons.”
For now, the shelter says the feline family is settling in — and hopefully on their way to finding loving forever homes.