When the owners of a wild mushroom company in Maple Ridge showed up for work Tuesday morning they heard an unusual noise 鈥� the sound of a kitten crying.
Trevor Gauthier and his wife Dana Chapman Gauthier immediately started investigating.
"We just thought it was one at the time, one cat," explained Trevor.
But, with the help of three or four staff members, what they discovered broke their hearts 鈥� three frightened kittens, under the dense underbrush of evergreens and blackberry thickets in front of Ponderosa Mushrooms and Specialty Foods.
It took them about an hour and a half to wrangle all three kittens, but they eventually managed to put all three of them into a box and get them inside where they fed them and gave them some milk. After which, Trevor said, they immediately fell asleep.
And, in a heartwarming twist, members of his staff each took one of the kittens home.
"It's just sad," added the business owner, noting there are other options for people who have unwanted animals.
Especially, he said, abandoning them in the area of his business, where there are a lot of wild animals.
"They wouldn't have made it over night," he noted.
Dave Desautels, manager of the Maple Ridge branch of the BC SPCA, who took over from Kahlee Demers in February, said the abandonment of animals is not new and is not limited to cats and kittens.
On June 21 good Samaritans discovered a duct-taped box filled with 12 kittens at Kanaka Creek Park, while they were out for a walk.
They brought them into the SPCA the following day.
"When we looked at the cats they appeared to be suffering from an upper respiratory infection. We鈥檝e spent the last two weeks nursing them back to health," said Desautels.
Prior to that, a ball python, since named Petunia, was discovered in a Rubbermaid container on May 12, near Memorial Peace Park by members of the Ridge Meadows RCMP. The storage container had some holes poked through it and a rock on the top to keep it shut.
"She was near death when she came in due to the cool temperatures at the time," said Desautels about Petunia, noting that with the help of reptile specialist Dr. Adrian Walton with Dewdney Animal Hospital and a BC SPCA staff member who fostered the snake, Petunia is in great health now.
Desautels believes that people who abandon animals think they will be reprimanded if they seek out help with a rescue agency.
However, he wants the public to know that they don't judge. The BC SPCA is there to help.
Dana was infuriated and took to social media about the three kittens found outside her business.
"It鈥檚 beyond disgusting that someone made the choice to abandon these helpless babies like garbage. This wasn鈥檛 a misunderstanding鈥攖his was deliberate," wrote Dana in an online post.
She said the kittens were immediately given a warm soft and safe place to rest while vet appointments were made to ensure their health and well-being were stable, before finding homes with Ponderosa staff.
"These babies are now safe and loved. They will never know neglect again," wrote Dana. "Please, if you鈥檙e ever in a position where you can鈥檛 care for animals, reach out to a shelter or rescue鈥攄on鈥檛 just abandon them. They deserve better!"
There are two animal rescue agencies in Maple Ridge: BC SPCA on Jackson Road and 102 Avenue, and Katie's Place, a rescue dedicated to cats, located right beside the SPCA.
To contact the Maple Ridge branch of the BC SPCA, located at 10235 Jackson Rd., call 604-463-9511, or go to: . For Katie's Place Cat Shelter at 10255 Jackson Rd., email: info@katiesplace.ca, or go to: .
Desautels is also advising the public to notify the police if they discover abandoned animals, as well as city bylaws, who will pick up the animals and deliver them to the SPCA.
He also advised phoning the BC SPCA Animal Help Line at 1-855-622-7722.
All 12 kittens plus three other cats are up for adoption and applications can be found at: .
