Kittens left at NC shelter with heart-wrenching note. ‘Not what we wanted to do’
Two “precious” kittens left at a North Carolina shelter’s door were surrendered with a heart-wrenching note.
“This is not what we wanted to do, but we can’t give them the life they deserve,” the note read. “Please take care of them, we do love them.”
The Asheville Humane Society took to social media Nov. 7 to share the emotional contents of the note. It also responded to the owner, saying it has fallen in love with kittens Aurora and Villa, too.
The shelter, which said “surrendering a pet is an excruciating decision to make,” shared its Facebook post more than a month after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Western North Carolina with catastrophic flooding and damaging winds.
“People are hurting, especially now,” the shelter wrote. “There has been so much loss, so much hardship. You are not alone in your struggles. We’re right there with you. We want to help.”
While the shelter said it can’t possibly understand the circumstances that led to the decision to surrender the kittens, it hoped their owner would feel appreciated and supported. If the family wants to come back, the shelter offered to help them reunite with their pets without judgment.
“We will do everything in our power to give you what you need to stay together,” the animal organization wrote. “Food, medical care, counseling, whatever you need — we’ll make it happen.”
As of Nov. 8, the kittens’ owner hadn’t accepted the humane society’s offer to take the kittens back, director of operations Jen Walter told McClatchy News in an email. In the meantime, Aurora and Villa are settling into life at the shelter.
“The best part is that, no matter what, this story will have a happy ending,” the shelter wrote. “Your kittens are currently receiving every ounce of love you requested from our animal care staff. They’ve become shelter favorites. They snuggle in soft kennels with every resource they need. If reuniting you isn’t possible, they’ll find the right place and the right person.”
Aurora and Villa, female cats believed to be roughly 9 months old, are available for pre-adoption. Potential adopters can visit the shelter’s facility in Asheville.
“If not reunified with their owner, they will be ready for adoption following completion of required hold periods, medical care, and spay surgeries,” Walter wrote, adding that the kittens’ surgeries are scheduled for Nov. 19.
The shelter didn’t immediately share additional information about the kittens with McClatchy News on Nov. 11.
This story was originally published November 11, 2024 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Kittens left at NC shelter with heart-wrenching note. ‘Not what we wanted to do’."
