Cat Found on Death's Door Sparks Discussion of Animal Abandonment

A kitten found in a Northfield apartment, left for about ten days without food or water, has sparked discussion about the issue of animal abandonment.

The cat, which a landlord found while inspecting the apartment of an evicted tenant is alive and being nursed back to health, Northfield Public Safety Center administrative assistant Karen Mangold told the Northfield News.

“He’s just so happy to be alive and have food,” Mangold said. “They’re hoping his internal organs are okay [and] that he won’t have permanent damage. They’re pretty hopeful that he will recover.”

But the incident is part of a trend, and Mangold said she can recall three similar cases from the last six months.

"People, for one reason or another…they just leave their animals behind," she told the paper. "Unless someone goes in there we don’t know, so it’s really hard to say how many are out there."

The Northfield News has more about the city responds to abandoned animals:

Northfield has a contract with Countryside to bring animals there for care, and they are treated for up to five days to allow the owner time to reclaim them. Countryside’s Lisa Rowland said “nine times out of 10” dogs are reclaimed in that time period, usually because the owner didn’t realize the animal was missing.

In cases where animals aren’t claimed Countryside works with Prairie’s Edge Humane Society in Faribault and the Humane Society of Goodhue County in Red Wing. Rowland said some animals are adopted directly from Countryside, but most often they are transferred after five days to a shelter to await adoption.

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Mangold said the staff at Countryside staff has gone “above and beyond” in their treatment of some animals brought to them by Northfield police. Because their contract extends to just five days, Countryside has sometimes helped animals beyond the paid time frame from the city.