BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Walking down Elmwood Avenue, shoppers may spot a few new furry faces discovering the wonders of life, but how they got there is what is really troubling.
Three kittens were found abandoned in an Amazon box in Depew on Monday. Ten Lives Club, a nonprofit cat rescue group, was notified about the discovery and quickly stepped in to help.
"It's very scary to leave them just in a box," said Kimberly LaRussa, public relations manager for Ten Lives Club. "They were left for dead, essentially. There's just better ways to help these cats. It had like holes in it, and it was really damaged, and it was filled with three kittens."
Thankfully, the kittens were rescued just in time and are now safe in a foster home located inside Thin Ice, a gift shop on Elmwood Avenue. The store's owner, Therese Deutschlander, is fostering the trio until they are ready for adoption.
"We've always been the store that has a store cat, which has been really fun, but officially we started working with Ten Lives Club last year right as their kitten season kicked off, and we absolutely love it," Deutschlander said.
While the kittens are healthy, they still need to be vaccinated and spayed or neutered before they can be adopted.
"Wait for the kittens to be vaccinated and they get fixed and everything and all of that is through Ten Lives Club, which is just why it's so great to work with them and then eventually the kittens will go home with a customer," Deutschlander added.
LaRussa said fostering is a great way for community members to help, noting that Ten Lives Club covers all foster-related expenses, including medical care, food and supplies.
"You don't have to worry about paying for medical, you don't have to worry about cat food or cat beds or anything like that," LaRussa explained. "We'll offer all the supplies to you as long as you open your home and your heart. We're also looking for bottle feeders, that's important right now."
LaRussa said these types of abandonment cases are becoming more common, particularly as kitten season ramps up.
"The Ten Lives Club is here for the Western New York community," LaRussa said. "We are here to take in these cats. We just ask that you give us a call and schedule an appointment so you don't need to rush and put kittens in a box because it's not convenient for you. Think about the welfare of that animal."
Stephanie Barber, who runs Akron Rescue Cats, said her team is seeing the same trend.
Barber's rescue organization is expanding to meet the growing need and plans to open a new location on May 17.
"We're trying to create this from nothing to give space for those in the most dire need and it's just, it's a lot. It takes a lot of work," Barber added.
Ten Lives Club's surrender line is (716) 646-5577 ext. 4.
Akron Rescue Cats can be reached at (585) 813-5091.
