Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – A local service member jumped into action after finding 11 kittens and four adult cats abandoned in cages while jogging off Beach Drive in Bethesda Wednesday.
“Fortunately he has a huge, huge heart and had the compassion to go and get his vehicle. He was out jogging, went and got his vehicle, came back and retrieved the cats,” said Alice Burton with the Bethesda-based advocacy group Alley Cat Allies.
Alley Cat Allies normally doesn’t adopt cats out but stepped up given the emergency situation. The cats were taken to the vet and treated for infections, some of which were severe. All the kitties are expected to survive and are being cared for in foster homes until they are ready to be adopted out in the next few weeks.
While the cats are recuperating, the advocacy group and police are looking for the person who dumped them. A $2,500 reward is being offered to anyone who gives them information that leads them to that person.
The suspect faces a $100 fine per cat that was abandoned.
“A $100 fine per animal, it’s not a lot, that’s for sure, but it’s also important to find out who it is because we want to see if there’s more animals and how we can help with those,” Burton said.
She added it can be difficult to solve animal abandonment cases because of a lack of evidence and resources.
Anyone with information concerning the abandonment of the cats is asked to contact the Alley Cat Allies at 240-482-1997.
Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Alley Cat Allies)
