Over the course of the past week, as temperatures have begun to dip down to single digits, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Angell shelter has found seven cats abandoned at the facility — at doors, in taped-shut boxes, and even in the bathroom.

More recently, a box of three young kittens was dropped in raw sewage at a landfill near Boston.

The irony is, the Angell shelter will never turn away an animal that is brought to it. It just seems as if people are too ashamed to show their faces when they are leaving their animals. So they are leaving them outside, in the cold, where they could die.

"The MSPCA will never turn away an animal that is being surrendered," said MSPCA Director of Animal Protection, Jean Weber, in a statement. "In addition to the valuable behavioral and medical information that pet owners share with us, the surrender process ensures a safe handover of each animal. Several of the cats that were abandoned on our property were left trapped in boxes and exposed to harsh weather conditions."

A grey and white cat, now named Frosty, was abandoned near the front door of Angell Animal Medical Center on December 5 during a rain and snow storm. Other cats were abandoned throughout the MSPCA-Angell including a kitten, Tinsel, who was left in one of the medical center’s bathrooms.

"If a pet owner needs to surrender an animal we urge them to do so properly," said Weber. "By informing us of an animal’s past we are enabled to make a much better match with a new adoptive owner."

Animal cruelty is a felony in Massachusetts punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.

And now, some cuddly kitty photos:

About The Author

John Guilfoil is the editor-in-chief of Blast: Boston's Online Magazine and the Blast Magazine Network. He can be reached at [email protected]. Tweet @johnguilfoil.

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