Two young frightened cats were left shivering in the rain and cold on Mother’s Day after being dumped by their owner on the doorstep of Coventry's RSPCA centre.
The pair were found on the driveway of the RSPCA Coventry branch, in Coundon Wedge Drive, on Sunday.
A young man was spotted in a Ford Fiesta, or similar car, on the driveway at 8.10pm before driving off.
Fortunately, the cats were discovered about 20 minutes later and were brought into the centre.
Glenn Mayoll, animal centre manager, said: “People who dump cats like this just add more and more pressure to our already full cattery.
"These owners need to face up to their responsibilities and realise animals cannot just be passed off like a piece of rubbish.”
He added: “In all the years of discovering dumped animals at the gates of the centre, it never fails to shock me.
“The one small mercy is that they chose to leave the cats at the animal centre – although this does not excuse their actions.”
Harper and Romeo, named by staff members, are now recovering well from their ordeal.
They were nervous and scared at first but required no special treatment and plenty of food, water and attention has helped them settle in.
The RSPCA Centre is currently operating on a waiting list system because it is full to capacity.
Jennie Hamlet, deputy manager, said: “A lot of the time when people ring up to put animals on the waiting list they leave it to the last moment.”
She added this can lead to desperate owners simply dumping their pets at the already overcrowded centre.
“People just assume that we might not be able to get them but we do try to help them as quickly possible,” Jennie said.
Sadly, the incident involving Harper and Romeo is not the first of its kind.
Jennie said: “It’s not a daily occurrence but it does happen.”
The RSPCA is urgently seeking adopters for their cats.
If you can offer a home to cats like Harper or Romeo, visit the centre between 11am-4pm every day (except Tuesdays), or visit
http://www.rspca-coventry.org.uk for more details.
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 1:59 pm