5 kittens found in weighted box seemingly intended to sink in NS river

The Nova Scotia SPCA is investigating after five one-week-old kittens were found in a weighted diaper box seemingly intended to sink into a river.

A passerby heard meowing from the box hanging on a tree over a river in Lockeport, N.S., on Sept. 6, according to Jo-Anne Landsburg, chief provincial inspector for the organization.

A propane canister, container of nails, and shorts were also inside the cardboard box.

“This is so unnecessary because the SPCA will always take in kittens,” said Landsburg, adding it seemed the items were intended to weigh the box down.

“There’s no need, no reason for anybody to do this. There are so many options.”

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Because the box was stuck on a tree, it appeared that someone had thrown it over an embankment.

The kittens are currently in foster care in Halifax and expected to make a full recovery.

READ MORE: 2 cats found in tied-up garbage bag in Dartmouth get a new home

In 2015, the SPCA recorded 425 abandoned animals in the province. This year, there have been 282 so far.

“The numbers are staggeringly high, and we’re still only in September,” said Landsburg, speaking at the Dartmouth shelter on Friday.

Recently, staff took in two guinea pigs that were left abandoned in a Rubbermaid tub; the two have since been adopted.

On Sept. 8, staff took in two cats found in a box on someone’s doorstep in Antigonish with a note that read, “For the SPCA.”

The organization is described as a no-kill shelter. Taking in an abandoned animal generally costs the SPCA at least $250 to make sure it has been spayed or neutered and received all of the necessary shots, among other necessary treatments.

Most animals that are sent to the shelter aren’t in the best of health and, ultimately, can costs thousands of dollars to get to the proper health standards.

“The reality is that those adoption fees do not cover the full cost of the medical care for those animals,” said Sandra Flemming, adding the SPCA doesn’t get government funding.

READ MORE: SPCA facing ‘huge financial burden’ to treat Nova Scotia man’s 66 cats

Anyone with information that can help the investigation or who would like to file a cruelty complaint can do so online or by calling 1-888-703-7722.