The fourth litter of kittens abandoned in Jasper in three years has found a new home, but local veterinarian Janet Jones is disturbed by the ongoing trend.

Two three-month-old cats were found in a box on the steps of the Lutheran Church on Jan. 17, the first Saturday of Jasper in January. 

Though Jones can’t be sure the same person is responsible for deserting the kittens, it seems likely. “It’s hard to tell,” she said, adding there have been two black litters and two that appear to be Siamese. “I’d hate to think there’s four different people willing to do that.”

A passerby found the cats on the Saturday, then handed them over to the local bylaw enforcement officers who phoned the veterinarian’s office the next morning after deciding they would need medical attention. The cats both had upper respiratory infections and one’s eye was glued shut with pus. 

A typical litter contains between three and six cats, so it’s possible more were left out than just the two that were rescued, and there may have been others that were never found at all. “How many other litters were killed by coyotes? Kittens don’t last long,” Jones said. The other litters were found on the steps of another church, in Centennial Park, and in the dog park.

The new owner of the cats, who wished to remain unnamed, said deserting the cats is “disgusting.”

“They’re such sweet little things, I think whoever owns the mother should never be allowed to have an animal again,” she said. “They’re babies, would you throw a baby out to die?”

A person who abandons a pet or allows or causes animals to be in distress can be charged under the Animal Protection Act, according to Tim Battle, director of education for the Alberta SPCA. The maximum fine under the act is $20,000, or a ban from owning animals for any length of time.

“It’s unfortunate, it’s so preventable,” Battle said. “If you’ve got pets, you can spay or neuter them.” 

Which is exactly what Jones would like to see happen. 

“If people really don’t have money, like really don’t have the money, I can help them out, there are ways to help finance getting this cat spayed,” Jones said. If the culprit simply doesn’t care, she added, she hopes that a friend or acquaintance will speak out against the act of negligence.

“Somebody knows this person, knows what they’re doing. Even if this is the first time, I don’t want them to do it again,” the vet said. “You just can’t abandon kittens. They’re so at risk, and it’s a horrible way to die.”

Anyone who knows or believes animals are in distress should contact Animal Protection Services at 1-800-455-9003.