GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A cat is somehow alive after being abandoned in a box and left on a pet rescue's doorstep. The cat, which her fosters are calling Grizabella, is timid about her new surroundings, but recovering well from an unfortunate situation.
Fig and Friends Pet Rescue got a call from one of their partner pet shops.
"The cat had been dropped off in front of their doors," says Julie Beukema, director of Fig and Friends.
Grizabella was left in a cardboard box with free cat written on the side, soaked from the pouring rain.
"By the time they found her, the box was wet, kind of falling apart," says Beukema. "She was frantic."
On the other side of the box, a list of facts.
The cat's former owners saying she was a year old and friendly, but not good with other cats and damaged their home, likely the reason she was abandoned.
"Destroyed plants and chewed valuables," says Beukema.
She was heartbroken.
"Being put in a box somewhere where you don't know where you are, it's cold, you're getting wet," says Beukema. "That would scare anybody but much less, you know, a little 10-pound cat."
She quickly called out the unknown owners on Facebook, saying this is not the way to turn your animals into a shelter.
"She could have gotten out," says Beukema. "It was a busy location. She could have run into traffic, gotten killed."
Beukema is thankful a foster home stepped in to take care of the cat while she recovers.
"It's going to take her a little while to get over this," she says.
Beukema says Fig and Friends plans to eventually find a permanent home for Grizabella, but will continue to recover with her foster family for now. The rescue is also looking for donations and volunteer foster families. You can check out their Facebook and Instagram pages for more information, or give them a call at (616) 320-2400.
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