Rusty and Nacho: Unwanted Kittens Discovered in Queens School Trash

Debi Romano of SaveKitty Foundation received a call on Tuesday, March 12, from a school in Richmond Hill, Queens. When putting out the trash, the school’s custodian noticed that a black plastic bag — which was tied shut — was moving! He looked inside and was surprised to find two orange tabby kittens. He notified the office personnel, but since it was against school policy to bring animals inside the building, he left them outside in the bag near where they were discovered. Because the staff were unable to determine the age and condition of the kittens, time was of the essence. The NYC Feral Cat Initiative (NYCFCI) of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals and its cooperative network of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) caretakers jumped into action.

Debi called Evon Handras of the NYCFCI to see if she could find someone to respond, as Debi could not get there until much later in the day after the staff would be gone. To make matters worse, it had started to rain steadily. The Alliance’s Jenny Coffey overheard the conversation in the Alliance office and immediately reached out to one of her contacts at a nearby real estate office, who was willing to keep the kittens safe and warm until rescue arrived. A school employee, Faith, agreed to deliver the kittens to the real estate office while we tried to find someone to carry them on the next leg of their journey.

In the meanwhile, Evon reached out to NYCFCI colleague, Valerie Sicignano, and she found a volunteer who was willing to pick up the kitties at the real estate office. Evon also called Ashot Karamian of All About Spay Neuter, who via his well-connected network, within minutes arranged for nearby rescuer, Susan St. John from Cats in the Cradle Rescue, to meet Faith at the real estate office for the kitty handover.

From there it was off to the vet for exams, tests, and vaccinations, and the following day, the kittens were neutered at the ASPCA’s spay/neuter facility in Glendale, Queens. The veterinary staff reported that the 5- or 6-month-old brothers were friendly, purring, and kneading. Even better, they were healthy and tested negative for FeLV and FIV!

With a clean bill of health and a top-notch behavioral assessment, the brothers — now named Rusty and Nacho in honor of their fabulous colors — were moved to a Cats in the Cradle Rescue foster home to await adoption. What a happy new beginning for these two gorgeous and lucky orange tabbies!

Word has it that the kittens are even more friendly, loving, and affectionate than they were when they first arrived. They will make awesome additions to some lucky family!

If you’re interested in adopting Nacho and/or Rusty, visit the Cats in the Cradle Rescue Petfinder page.