The Hermitage Cat Shelter already had more than 160 cats at its cage free facility when staff found another 14 abandoned at their front gate over the weekend.
"It puts us in a really difficult situation," said Ryan Twigg, the adoptions manager at the shelter. Staff found 10 cats left in one cage early Saturday morning. Then he says another person left four cats outside their gate on Sunday morning.
Twigg says since Hermitage runs entirely off private donations, these extra animals puts them in a dilemma.
"This takes a huge chunk out of our budget when we are very strict on the amount of money we have and what we can spend on our veterinary care," said Twigg.
He says almost all of the cats dropped off this weekend need medical attention.
"Most of them are testing positive for Feline Leukemia or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and in some cases both," he said. "All of them are very under fed, under socialized."
The person who left 10 cats in one cage also left a note.
"'I love the kitties but my crazy neighbor has threatened to poison them again,'" reads Twigg from the note. "Sad and unfortunate but these cats were probably in a hoarding situation where they weren't being cared for given their condition. If somebody would just call us we'll do everything we can to help."
The shelter also wanted to stress that abandoning an animal is a felony. They plan to review security footage and file a police report with Tucson Police.
Twigg says he expects the cats from this weekend to be available for adoption in about two weeks. The cats have to take antibiotics and become more socialized.
In the meantime, the shelter is in the middle of a capital campaign to raise funds to build a new facility. They have raised about 40 percent of their goal but fear this may set them back. If you would like to make a donation, or are interested in adopting a cat, click here.
