Edmonton couple rescue shivering kittens from dump
‘They were screaming, trying to get our attention’
While he was dropping off old stuff at a dump near his west Edmonton home, Matt Sharphead thought it was his faulty truck alternator that was making a whining sound.
He and his wife Amy continued emptying old household stuff from their running pickup on Sunday until the noise became more desperate.
Now they were both sure it wasn't coming from their vehicle.
They jumped out to follow the wailing.
"Sure enough, we went around the corner and there were two kittens shivering," said Matt Sharphead, remembering temperatures were bitterly cold, in the –20 C range.
'They were really cold'
Both black and white kittens were trying to keep warm underneath the bins at the dump on the Enoch Cree Nation reserve, just outside Edmonton's west end. Amy, 31, is a band member.
"I don't know how anyone could have done this to them," she said.
Matt, 35, ran to pick up the kittens to get them inside the warm vehicle.
"They were really cold, very hungry. They seemed dehydrated and wanted water, and we provided that for them right away," he said adding the couple picked up cat food on their way home.
Both kittens are male, and while one was initially scared about his new surroundings, both seem fine despite their time in the cold and appear to be happy in their new temporary home.
"They're very active and playful and they were house-trained already," said Matt, who's been surprised that the only time they really make any noise is to ask for food or use the litter box.
While they'd like to keep them, it's not possible at the moment, so they're working with animal rescue group Pets in Need Alberta to find them a new owner.
"I want them to go somewhere where they are going to be loved," said Amy.
Janice Dodds, the founder of Pets in Need Alberta, has already provided food for the kittens and the next steps are to have them checked by a veterinarian and try to find them a home.
Dodds estimates the kittens are about 10 weeks old and thinks they would make great pets.
"They're adorable," said Dodds. "They're very, very sociable. Obviously we want them to stay together."
Dodds estimates she's helped rescue as many as 4,000 cats over the years, but this case is one she finds particularly discouraging.
SPCA deals with similar cases each week
Given the kittens are still so tiny and the dump is isolated, Dodds finds it unlikely they got there by themselves. She thinks someone was trying to get rid of them.
"Thank God they were there," she said of the Sharpheads. "Otherwise these kittens would have died. It was too cold."
The Alberta SPCA said it gets as many as six calls a week of a similar nature in the province.
All such reports are taken seriously. A person could be charged under the province's Animal Protection Act. If convicted of causing an animal to be in distress, the person could face a fine of up to $20,000 and a ban on owning animals.
That's doubtful in this case, without any eyewitness report or other evidence such as a vehicle licence plate.
The Sharpheads are just happy they heard the kittens' cries for help. They're hoping someone steps forward to adopt them before their two young children get too attached.
"They're really happy kittens," Amy said. "They're really good. They're just awesome little kittens."
If you want to help by adopting these kittens or any other cats you can contact Pets in Need Alberta through its Facebook page.