When walkers noticed a plastic box that had been left in the middle of a park, they immediately knew something wasn't right.
Trusting their instinct, they cautiously approached, trying to work out what could possibly have been left behind.
A whole family abandoned
They quickly realised the box was moving, and rushing to remove the lid, found a family of cats huddled inside.
"It appears this group is a multi-generational family", explained SPCA of Wake County on Facebook. "A mother cat with her grown daughter, and another four small kittens under her belt".
"Thank goodness for these passersbys' intuition that there was something funny about this bin sitting at Wooten Park. Taped shut, no air holes. It was their gut feeling that saved the two cats and four kittens", they continued.
A second chance at happiness
The cats and kittens were rushed to the SPCA for emergency care.
Thankfully, despite having been left with no air holes, the little family was doing alright.
"While there are certainly other options", reflected the SPCA, "we know that the person who set these cats out was trying to help, and may not have known another way".
"At the end of the day, these cats are safe because people truly care".
As soon as the cats are ready, they'll be placed up for adoption with loving families of their own.
