A striped kitten is fighting for its life at the Montgomery County SPCA after someone left it in the book drop at the La Mott Community Center in Cheltenham Township, officials said today.
The male brown tabby, which has no name, was shoved into the book drop at the center, which also doubles as a library, sometime overnight Thursday after the center closed at 9 p.m.
It was discovered by a maintenance man at 7:30 a.m. Friday when he reported for work and heard mewing coming from the drop box. “He investigated, and lo and behold, it was a kitty,” said Kelly Rebitz, a center staffer.
The worker summoned police and community center officials who could unlock the drop box, she said. The kitten was freed at 9:30 a.m. and taken to the SPCA for emergency medical care.
Montgomery County SPCA director Carmen Ronio said the cat is six- to seven-weeks old and suffering from dehydration, eye infection and diarrhea. He said it is being treated with fluids and antibiotics.
Absolutely horrible.
twelve hours locked inside a metal box in 90 degree temperature. I’m not a naturally violent person but if I knew who did this I would recommend capital punishment.
Not the first time, probably not the last
This happened to me in Portsmouth, VA almost two years ago. Came in for work one morning, heard a strange noise coming from the book drop (thankfully an in-building one) and found a 7 to 8 week old white kitten. I took the kitten home, and he is now a happy, healthy housecat who loves pouncing on me from the headboard while I’m reading. My library director would have been mortified if I’d contacted the media over it, though!
It’s truly sad that anyone would abuse a helpless animal this way. I sincerely wish the people who did this suffer a measure of the fear and hopelessness that kitten experienced.
hope it is ok
I hope the kitten survives. I hope God has a special place for people who think this is what you do with a sick kitten. I’ve heard of other weird, cruel stuff like that coming out of book drops too.
If I were a library director I would definitely be calling the media, pronto.
Sad outcome
The kitten didn’t make it.
Reward Offered
I have pledged a $1000.00 reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this act. I am an animal advocate and already called the SPCA, the Police and the township to make it clear to them that this is credible.
Gary E. Meyer
President/CEO Gementerprises, Inc.
Gementerprises.Com
Harsh Fines
Why do people drop kittens off at the library in the first place? It’s because they know the library staff will take it in, care for it, and become responsible for it. It is an easy way to avoid their own responsibility by laying it on someone else.
The best news item for the librarian to tell reporters is that a kitten was found in the Book Return box, and was promptly sent to the SPCA to be exterminated. Hopefully, these news stories, over time, will let people know that kittens dropped off at the library will suffer the same fate as kittens dropped off at the SPCA, and that the owner is responsible for getting the cat killed, instead of having the mother cat spayed.
But if people read about how all public libraries are a good place to drop off kittens, then don’t be surprised at what you will find the next time. And when they read such statements as: “I took the kitten home, and he is now a happy, healthy housecat who loves pouncing on me from the headboard while I’m reading”, then they realize they can drop the cat off, and it will become the moral and financial responsibility of someone else.
This is a good deal. I know a number of “trouble children” that should be left at libraries, like the abandoned cats. Maybe the librarians will adopt them, too.
R. Lee Hadden (These are my own opinions!)