1 cat, 5 kittens survive after being left in sealed tote bin

EvelinaSzczepanowska says she's never seen animal cruelty like a recent abandonment case fromElliot Lake, Ont.

She has managedthe Society for Animals in Distress (SAD) in Elliot Lake for the past four years, and was the one to care for ten felines found Tuesday in a blue tote bin.

Four adults cats and seven kittens were inside the container that was left beside a garbage bin on Stanrock Road, ten kilometres northof the community.

Provincial police and the Ontario SPCA are investigating the animal cruelty case.

Szczepanowskasays all the animals inside the bin were in distress,particularly the adult cats that were all inside a tied-up pillow case.

"When I opened up the pillow case with a pair of scissors right away, I found one deceased cat and three barely breathing."

"Around the pillow case was six little baby kittens, that were maybe a week old, some seem to be even a few days old."

One other kitten was found dead, while another died on Thursday.

She says all the animals were covered in urine andvomit.

"It was just an awful, awful sight, something nobody should have to see."

The warm temperature outside on Tuesday, when the cats were found,didn't help their condition in the bin.

"[The weather] may have made a difference, maybe. But I think the individual that was doing this was not planning for anybody to find these cats alive," Szczepanowskasaid.

She adds that a lot of the cats' medical distress had to do with the fact that they were covered in urine, which may have led to asphyxiation.

"I think the individual that was doing this was not planning for anybody to find these cats alive."

Szczepanowskasays unwantedanimalscan be surrendered to the animal shelter or other organizations nearby.

Foster mom helping care for kittens

Only one adult cat remains alive and is under observation at a local veterinarian's office.

Szczepanowskasays the five remainingkittens are doing well at the animal shelter. They're being fed by a foster mother, who was already at the shelter.

She adds the kittens will be up for adoption in about eight weeks, when they're old enough to feed on their own.

Anyone who has information about thisanimal cruelty case can either contact Crime Stoppers, the Ontario SPCAor Society for Animals in Distress (SAD) inElliot Lake.