It was a cold winter's day when shelter staff spotted an unusual sight outside the rescue centre in Heinsberg, Germany.
A toy box had been abandoned, and with the lid taped shut, they feared an animal may be trapped inside.
The most shocking scene
The team couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the cruelty someone had inflicted.
In the box they found three cats. One was barely alive, and heartbreakingly, the other two had died.
Sharing the story to Facebook, they confirmed the third cat was the mother of the others. But, sadly, she was in such poor condition, she didn't make it.
Looking for answers
On examining the animals, the rescue came to an upsetting conclusion. The person who had abandoned the little family had tried to drown them beforehand.
Nobody could understand why their former owner hadn't handed them over to a rescue centre to be properly cared for.
The rescue assured everyone they would make it their mission to find the culprit responsible for this unthinkable act of cruelty.
"Who can give any information about the toy box or the cats? Who might have seen anything that would help us?", they wrote. "Criminal charges have been filed".
