PLANT CITY – Outside a local PetSmart store, an orange DoorDash bag was left next to the front door. Inside of this bag were 10 kittens, left alone and defenseless for an unknown amount of time. With temperatures in the 40s that night, this could have ended in tragedy.
“We are committed to providing the kittens with full veterinary care, including vaccinations and spay/neuter, and will ensure they are placed in safe, loving homes,” said Tara Pisano, one of the directors of Rescue Pets of Florida.
This isn’t the first time that Rescue Pets of Florida has taken in abandoned animals.
A few weeks ago, a litter of puppies were abandoned and left in a storage tote, with no protection. The puppies were placed in loving foster homes and are all doing well. They’re expected to go up for adoption after they’re vaccinated and spayed/neutered.
With the warming temperatures, the community is entering into what rescuers call, “Kitten Season,” which is when many animals, including cats and dogs start to give birth. It can be an overwhelming time for shelters, rescues and even neighbors who may find kittens or puppies and feel a need to help get them to safety.
But abandoning them in totes or bags outside of shelters, stores or rescues can do more harm than good. Rescue Pets of Florida recommends reaching out to a humane society, shelter or rescue group.
Many rescues, including Rescue Pets of Florida, work with county shelters and take in animals to help prevent overcrowding.
To prevent unwanted kittens, Rescue Pets of Florida spays/neuters 90 to 120 cats at each of their pop-ups, which occur on three Sundays every month.
These pop-ups focus on spay/neuter of cats within the rescue as well as TVNR (trap, vaccinate, neuter, return) animals from the community. This is in addition to the low-cost spay/neuter clinics available throughout the area.
Rescue Pets of Florida has about 230 cats/kittens and 70 dogs/puppies in its care. Visit Rescuepetsofflorida.org/ to learn more about fostering animals, volunteering and donating.
