South Bend workers find kitten inside shoe box

By KEVIN ALLEN, Tribune Staff Writer

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By WSBT News1

Story Created: Nov 5, 2009 at 5:32 PM EST

Story Updated: Nov 5, 2009 at 5:32 PM EST

A 5-week-old kitten is on the mend at South Bend Animal Care and Control after being found in a shoe box Wednesday morning.

A crew remodeling a building at the corner of Lincoln Way East and Miami Street found the kitten in a Nike shoe box that was taped shut and wrapped in a garbage bag outside at the site, officers said. One of the workers brought it to Animal Control about 9 a.m.

"They heard some meowing and decided to look around and finally found her," said Kim Lucas, a senior Animal Control officer for the city. "She was covered with fleas, but we’ve treated her for that, and she’s eating well, so I think she’ll be fine."

Fleas can be life-threatening for a 5-week-old kitten, she said.

Lucas said the white domestic shorthair, which has black spots on its head and tail, will likely be available for adoption in a couple of weeks after it puts on some more weight.

Lucas said people bring kittens to the office at 105 S. Olive St. every day. Occasionally, officers will get a call about a live animal in a Dumpster.

But the incident Wednesday was unprecedented in her experience.

"To actually be put in a box and a bag — I don’t think we’ve seen that before," she said. "We were definitely quite surprised and shocked that someone would do that to a kitten."

Lucas said anyone caught doing that to an animal could be fined up to $2,500 and face animal cruelty charges.

But Animal Control’s role is to help people avoid such situations from happening in the first place.

"We’re here for them to bring (the animals) in," she said. "There’s no charge. We’d rather see them safe than in this situation."

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