On Thursday, a woman in Bedfordshire, England, who was taking out the garbage near her home discovered a sizable box with the word “fragile” written on it sitting in front of the trash can.
When she attempted to move the box, she immediately discovered it was moving. She looked inside the package out of concern and discovered a tied-up plastic rubbish bag. She pulled open the bag in a hurry and was startled to see a scared and perplexed cat inside.
“It’s a miracle this cat had not suffocated so she immediately removed her and put her in her car which was parked nearby before getting a pet carrier to secure her,” Kate Wright, an animal collection officer with the RSPCA, said in a press release.
The woman couldn’t believe her eyes. Clearly someone had gone to great lengths to make sure the cat was unable to escape from the box, and the woman was heartbroken to think that anyone could be so cruel. Knowing the cat was in desperate need of help, she quickly contacted the RSPCA in hopes that they could take her in.
“Amazingly the cat — who I’ve named Holly — is OK, but is unsurprisingly completely terrified,” Wright said.
After Holly’s terrible experience, Wright hurried her to the doctor. She had a flea allergy, which caused her skin to be itchy and scabby, but other than that, she seemed healthy. Currently, she is being treated for a flea allergy at the veterinarian to ensure she is in perfect health before being discharged.
It’s nothing short of a miracle that she avoided any significant injury given what she had to go through.
“It’s unthinkable to imagine what may have happened to Holly had this wonderful woman not have saved her,” Wright said. “She could have suffocated inside the bin liner or she could have been thrown inside the refuse lorry and crushed to death. Someone has obviously intentionally disposed of her in this way, which is absolutely shocking.”
When Holly was located, she was without a collar, any form of ID tag, or a microchip. The RSPCA is presently investigating where she came from and who could have cruelly abandoned her.
Holly’s predicament might have gone extremely wrong, but fortunately, the right person found her, and she is now safe and sound. Holly will be placed up for adoption when she has recovered and is ready if no one steps forward to claim her.
