Dumped kittens anger rescue organisation
The outraged animal activist said these kittens die a slow, painful death.
ANIMAL rescue organisations have expressed concern and outrage following a recent spate of ‘cruel and unnecessary’ dumps involving kittens. In the most recent incident, uMhlanga resident, Courtney Brummer, found a new born kitten bleeding and covered in ants at the parking lot opposite the Virginia Airport.
The outraged resident suspects that the kitten had simply been tossed out of a car window, and left to die.
“I had actually finished a driving lesson when this happened. I was standing across the way, when something white caught my eye. It appeared to be covered in ants. I assumed it was a dead bird, so I left it but when I looked again it was rolling around. I then rushed over and saw it was a newborn fluffy white kitten, no bigger than the palm of my hand,” she said.
Brummer quickly picked up the tiny, bleeding kitten and desperately tried to pick off the vicious swarm of ants.
“The kitten’s mouth and nose were bleeding. It was constantly spitting out blood. It was obvious to me that this baby was kicked or thrown out of a moving vehicle and landed right on its face,” she said.
She rushed him to the Ashburne Veterinary Clinic, where staff rallied to try and save its life, but he later died.
“I called twice that afternoon and heard he was on a ventilator, but was stable, although his upper respiratory was very bad. The next morning I called and heard the news, I was shattered,” she said.
Diane Best, Ashburne Vet practice manager, confirmed that the kitten succumbed to his injuries on Thursday last week, despite their best efforts.
According to Redhill resident and the founder of Feeding the Furballs, a non-profit organisation (NPO) and PBO (public benefit organisation, Farrah Khan Maharajh, this has become a common occurrence.
Through her NPO she has, in the last few months, rescued three kittens that were dumped in a similar way.
“People just chuck them out of a moving vehicle, in the hopes that other cars will finish them off,” she said.
However, many of these kittens die a slow, painful death.
“If they are not struck by a car they die of stress, dehydration or hunger. But the sad thing is that this is easily avoidable – people just need to reach out,” she said.
Maharajh urged the public with unwanted kittens to contact their local SPCA, rescue organisations or even veterinary clinics, before discarding the animal in such a cruel manner.
