MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — The kennels and cages are filled with cats and dogs at Awsom Animal Shelter in Stroudsburg. Sunday morning, the staff received a call from the police, who found ten young cats and kittens in a dog crate.
"They definitely look like they were malnourished. They definitely have flea dermatitis, which is basically hair loss from fleas eating at them," said Kaiyln Duke, Kennel Supervisor at Awsom Animal Shelter.
Kennel Supervisor Kailyn Duke says police found the cage dumped on a municipal road in Marshalls Creek behind Pocono Bazaar Flea Market.
The cats are now safe at the shelter, all named after different types of cheeses.
Staff says the extra animals require more resources, which puts a strain on the shelter since it's already at capacity.
"It kind of stretches us thin. The shelter staff we have a lot of cleaning, and we have to be open to the public by 11 am. Luckily, around the holidays, we get more donations with food and other things for the cats, kittens, and dogs, but it is still stressful," said Duke.
Staff at Awsom say they don't know exactly how long the cats were outside, but they say they are very thankful they were found when they were because the temperatures are dropping.
"We never know. It definitely could have been very serious because the weather is dropping below freezing at night times and who knows how long it would have been before they were found," added Duke.
Staff at Awsom say it will be a while before the cats will be available for adoption. To learn how to support Awsom, click here.