MILAN - Eight kittens are healing after a man tried dropping them off in a sealed container.
It happened last Tuesday afternoon at the Quad City Animal Welfare Center.
"I had never seen anything like that at all," Welfare Center Executive Director Patti McRae said. The kittens were all stacked on top of one another inside the container.
"They had urinated on one another," McRae said. "They had defecated on one another, so they were basically on top of one another in this container."
The kittens were each between 4 and 6 months in age. Food particles and live fleas were also seen on the fur of all kittens according to McRae.
"They wouldn't have survived much longer had we not been able to get them out of there," McRae said.
The kittens' body temperatures were at 106 degrees Fahrenheit when they were dropped off. Normal body temperature for a kitten is 99 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
"We got them cooled off with blankets and ice packs," McRae said. "We got their temperatures back down to normal."
It took about 30 to 45 minutes for the temperature of the kittens to stabilize. Regular feeding is also helping them get healthy.
"Now they're just trying to put on weight," McRae said. "We do have them on medication and antibiotics."
McRae said the kittens will be up for adoption once they heal. For more information on adoption, contact the welfare center at (309) 787-6830.
The Quad City Animal Welfare Center does plan to press charges against the man who tried dropping off the kittens. His name has not yet been released.