{"id":297619,"date":"2026-10-01T13:54:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T13:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/297619\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T13:54:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T13:54:11","slug":"3-kittens-were-dumped-in-a-pennsylvania-rescues-donation-bin-volunteers-say-resources-are-very-stretched-thin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/297619\/","title":{"rendered":"3 kittens were dumped in a Pennsylvania rescue\u2019s donation bin \u2014 volunteers say resources are \u2018very stretched thin\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"kittens\"<\/a> wouterkuin\/Envato <\/p>\n

Three tiny kittens were left in a donation bin outside a Pennsylvania animal rescue<\/a>. They were only about two weeks old. <\/p>\n

Fur All Kittys Cat Rescue in West Mifflin says two men placed the kittens inside the closed bin around 1:15 p.m. The bin is normally used for donations such as food, blankets and other supplies, not animals.The kittens might have been there even longer if a volunteer hadn’t stopped by around 5 p.m. to pick up a Chewy delivery and decided to check inside. <\/p>\n

Must Read <\/p>\n

They’re arriving at a time when rescues are already dealing with a flood of young cats. Kittens under five months accounted for 59% of cat intakes at reporting U.S. shelters and rescues in 2025, according to Shelter Animals Count<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Maggie Yenchick, the nonprofit’s assistant medical coordinator, stepped in to foster the three kittens, which were still young enough to need around-the-clock care. <\/p>\n

“It’s just scary when they’re this young. They can’t regulate their body temperatures,” Yenchick told CBS News, adding that several hours is a long time for kittens that young to be without their mother. <\/p>\n

The work was just beginning <\/p>\n

The kittens weren’t in great shape by the time they made it to Yenchick. They were dirty and covered in fleas, but she doesn’t believe the men who left them were necessarily trying to hurt them. <\/p>\n

Still, finding animals abandoned outside the building is nothing new. <\/p>\n

“This is not the first time the cats have been dumped at our doorstep,” Yenchick said. “It’s heartbreaking every single time it happens.” <\/p>\n

But when someone leaves an animal behind, the cost of caring for it doesn’t disappear. It usually lands somewhere else. <\/p>\n

For some context, the ASPCA estimated in 2021 that the recurring cost<\/a> of owning a cat was about $1,149 a year, with first-year expenses approaching $1,900 once vaccinations, spaying or neutering and other basics were factored in. <\/p>\n

For rescues suddenly taking in multiple sick or very young kittens, however, costs can pile up much faster. Humane World for Animals<\/a> has documented one grassroots rescue spending roughly $3,000 in veterinary bills to treat a single litter of four kittens with pneumonia. <\/p>\n

Read More: Vanguard reveals what’s coming for U.S. stocks \u2014 and it could be bad news for this group of investors<\/a> <\/p>\n

How the kittens are doing now <\/p>\n

Moneywise reached out to Fur All Kittys Cat Rescue for an update on how the kittens are doing and to learn more about what goes into caring for kittens this young, but did not hear back before publication. <\/p>\n

For now, the priority is trying to reunite the kittens with their mother. Yenchick said the rescue isn’t looking to prosecute the men who left them behind. Instead, they’re hoping to figure out where the kittens came from and whether their mom can still be found. <\/p>\n

“Understand that rescues, and not even just ours, are very stretched thin at this point in the year; it’s been a very long and hard kitten season for everybody. Having very thin resources for a bottle feeder. It’s very hard for us to take on kittens this little,” said Yenchick. <\/p>\n

Fur All Kittys is entirely volunteer-run, which means there isn’t always someone at the rescue. Anyone who needs to reach the organization can do so through its website<\/a> or Facebook page<\/a>, or by calling or texting (412) 979-9855. <\/p>\n

If you want to help animals in your own community, you don’t have to wait until there’s an emergency. Check in with a local shelter or rescue to see what they actually need. Sometimes that means fostering or volunteering, but it could also be as simple as dropping off supplies or making a donation. <\/p>\n

What To Read Next <\/p>\n

Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first \u2014 clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com<\/a> under the title: 3 kittens were dumped in a Pennsylvania rescue’s donation bin \u2014 volunteers say resources are ‘very stretched thin’<\/a> <\/p>\n

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"wouterkuin\/Envato Three tiny kittens were left in a donation bin outside a Pennsylvania animal rescue. They were only…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297620,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2037,122891,122892,28,30,29,812],"class_list":["post-297619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-dave-ramsey","tag-donation-bin","tag-maggie-yenchick","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news","tag-rescue"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}