WESTPORT — Shelter workers are trying to find homes for three litters of kittens that were unceremoniously dumped near hiking trails in the Essex area.
Two hikers brought the felines to the North Country SPCA Shelter in Westport.
"Thank God, we had nursing moms at the shelter," said Shelter Manager Pam Rock.
Rock estimates the kittens ranged from 1½ to 8 weeks of age. Due to some of the genetic traits, she also feels that the people who deserted them may have three cats that gave birth during a two-month period.
Initially, there were eight kittens, but one died shortly after coming to the shelter. There's no way of knowing how many perished in the woods, Rock said.
FRANTIC CALL
"We got a frantic phone call from a lady who couldn't believe what she found while hiking. There were two approximately 8-week-old kittens and one that was recently born."
Linda Coffin of Essex was one of the hikers who found the kittens.
"We had just pulled into the parking area to go on the Barn Rock Trail, when I got out of my van and saw two kittens; a little orange tabby and a black one with a stripe on its head.
"Initially, they were hostile, but when I started petting them, they seemed to relax. They seemed to know they needed help."
Coffin placed them in her vehicle with some water, but then realized they might not survive, so she called the Westport shelter.
After taking them there, she caught up with her hiking companions.
"It was a bad story with a somewhat happy ending," Coffin said.
CRYING CATS
Then, Rob Rich, a 23-year-old University of Vermont natural-resources student, pulled into the parking area at the Split Rock trailhead on Lakeshore Road between Essex and Westport and heard an "odd bird sound."
He opened his car door and discovered five crying, flea-infested kittens.
"I was unsure if a mother cat had left them there on purpose or someone dumped them there. I decided I couldn't go on a hike, knowing I'd be leaving the kittens there."
After taking the kittens to the Westport shelter, Rich went back to see if he could find more. The altruistic young man also presented a monetary donation to the shelter. No mother cat could be found, one indication, shelter workers said, that the kittens were likely left in the parking area and were not feral cats.
CRUELTY LAWS
According to New York state law, animal cruelty is a crime, and abandonment can fall under the category of animal abuse.
"Animal cruelty is far more widespread than most of us want to believe," said North Country SPCA Board President Margaret Miller Reuther. "It can range from neglecting a pet, failure to provide food, water and shelter, as well as living space and attention to medical needs, to deliberately causing harm.
"Like children, animals depend on us to protect them."
Abused animals often have dirty or matted fur, bruises, wounds and scars. Animals that are fearful or aggressive around their owners may have been abused.
People who suspect abuse are urged to report what they have seen to an animal shelter, animal-control officer or the police.
Rock encourages anyone who has a cat or dog to have the animal spayed or neutered, unless it is used for responsible breeding purposes.
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