We are all guilty of judging those that dump animals but not everyone has a choice over keeping them.
Sometimes their owner has passed, or they have become too expensive to keep; we can all start off with good intentions but can’t always follow through.
When Kristi Idnurm arrived for her shift at Pet Valu store in Georgetown, Delaware, she was met with a surprising sight.
Kristi found 21 cats and kittens in a cage outside the store with a long letter that broke her heart.
Three pages explaining why the person who dumped the animals had no other choice was attached to the door of the store which urged her to “please understand and read this before you judge.”
Kristi, who also runs her own rescue called Kristi’s Kats Inc, was left shocked and saddened by her find.
Completely broke me
The cats and kittens were clearly well looked after and seemed content but from the letter their owner had more animals but had found homes for them.
“I have been rescuing cats for as long as I can remember,” the letter read, “however this year has completely broke me. Out back is all the babies I can’t find homes for and I have run out of time.
“Please understand and read this before you judge.”
It turned out the person who had left the cats had experienced a series of traumatic events including her son being involved in a car accident and losing her aunt to liver cancer and using her savings to pay for the burial.
And if that wasn’t enough the person had arrived home one day to discover she had been evicted and instead of packing worked hard to find the cats homes.
Alongside the crate of kittens and cats the person had left the “last $30 from my bank account.”
With help from her cat rescue volunteers Kristi worked hard to find foster homes for the animals.
Able to find homes for all the cats
“My volunteers came in force to wash carriers, fill litter boxes, make lists and answer questions,” she told The Dodo.
In a Facebook update one of the animal heroes who helped to re-home the cats wrote: “UPDATE: we were able to place all 21 cats! Seeing such a response from the community and other rescues was such an amazing thing to see! ❤️ “
We hope the person who left the cats now knows that her animals are safe. And at the same time, we want to thank her for her incredible dedication and warm heart for making sure these cats have a future.
All animals deserve a loving home, share this article if you agree!
