It was a bitterly cold morning on 6th January in Augsburg, Germany. On the day of Epiphany, the thermometers showed temperatures well below zero. Most people were tucked up warm indoors, but in the town hall square, a truly chilling drama was unfolding.
That Tuesday morning, no one expected such a discovery on 'Neuer Gang' street. A cardboard box had been left there, all alone in the cold.
A heartbreaking discovery in Augsburg
When a passer-by looked inside, her worst fears were confirmed: the contents were alive! Huddled inside were three frightened creatures, pressed tightly together for warmth: a mother cat and her two tiny kittens!
Someone had abandoned them like rubbish in the middle of Augsburg, leaving them to their fate. And despite the freezing temperatures, this person hadn't even bothered to put a blanket in the box for the little family.
The Augsburg animal shelter, which immediately took in the three survivors, reported that they were "alone, frightened and completely uncared for" when found. Neither the mother nor her kittens were microchipped. For the animal rescuers, one thing is certain: they weren't lost, they had simply been thrown away.
Outrage over a cruel act
The anger over this act is immense. You don't abandon a cat and her two babies in a box in the middle of town "by mistake". "It was a deliberate act," the shelter stated in a moving post. To abandon animals on the street in such deadly, sub-zero temperatures is to accept "suffering, danger and, in the worst-case scenario, death."
On social media, the outrage is just as strong. "Stupid, heartless people," wrote one dismayed user. The act has been widely condemned as callous and an act of animal cruelty.
An appeal for information
The little family is now safe. They are receiving medical care and plenty of love. But the culprits are still at large. The shelter is now appealing for information to find those responsible for this cruel act.
