FARMINGTON — A cat and a kitten were found in a zippered travel bag outside the Franklin County Animal Shelter minutes before it opened Monday, according to a staff member.

 

The incident prompted the shelter to post a photo of the bag with a cat in it and a message that read: “These cats were just left on our porch by a woman wearing a beanie and glasses, and driving a bright red SUV. One cat was in the main compartment of the suitcase, and one was zipped into the tiny side compartment. We want to stress that we will work with people who need to surrender their animals. This was not fair to these cats to be zipped in and left in the cold.”

 

Staff member Billie-Jo McDonald said it’s not about shaming people, but staffers want people to surrender animals the right way.

 

“We want to do what is best for the animal,” she said. “We understand sometimes people can’t afford the surrender fee and we will work with them.”

 

The fee is $30.

 

Occasionally, staffers find dogs left in the outside kennels overnight or chained to a telephone pole, or a box of kittens left at the driveway entrance, she said.

 

On Monday, 10 minutes before the shelter opened at noon, a woman was seen leaving a bag at the door where shelter hours are posted. A woman surrendering her cat was sitting in the parking lot waiting for the shelter to open and saw the woman leave the bag and noticed that it started to move, McDonald said.

 

Staffers found a cat in the middle section of the bag and a kitten in a side pocket, McDonald said. They believe the felines are a mother about a year old and her 5-month-old kitten. Both are healthy and once they are spayed, they will be put up for adoption, she said.

 

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