'Please don't': Sydney woman's horror over contents of vacuum cleaner box

When Sydney woman Cindy Easterbrook opened her front door to find a vacuum cleaner box on her doorstep, at first she felt confused.

She hadn't ordered a vacuum cleaner, and was happy with the one she was currently using.

It was then that she noticed what was on the side of the box and it hit her what would likely be inside.

"You can tell. People usually put holes in the box," Easterbrook has told nine.com.au.

What she found was six healthy, happy kittens – all little boys – who were nonplussed at having been placed in an empty vacuum cleaner box.

Easterbrook runs Hills Cat Rescue alongside a team of dedicated volunteers.

What initially struck her was that the kittens that were inside weren't making a sound. They weren't scared or hostile at all.

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This told her that they had likely been born to a domestic cat that hadn't been desexed, and the family, likely overwhelmed at the prospect of caring and homing for five additional kittens, had dumped them on her doorstep.

Dumping animals is a criminal act under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (NSW).

Penalties can include a $5,500 fine or in more extreme cases, six months imprisonment.

If you can no longer care for an animal, it is illegal to abandon it. The legal alternative is to surrender the animal to a reputable shelter or rehoming service, however the organisation has to be contacted first, to ensure they have the capacity to care for them.

"I've been doing this for 10 years. I've called the police 100 times. I've taken the kittens to the police station," Easterbrook said.

This time, she took to Facebook, and alongside a video of the kittens in the box posted on January 16: "This is a complete plea from every rescue! PLEASE DONT DUMP KITTENS IN BOXES WITH RANDOM PEOPLE.

"In one week we have dealt with 20 kittens dumped in boxes."

"Thank you for being there for them. This should not be happening. People need to desex their cats and stop making it someone else's problem. There are cheap desexing programs like the community cat one," one person said.

"The poor sweethearts. Thank you for helping them," added another.

Nowadays the police aren't usually called, unless additional animal abuse is evident. Instead, Easterbrook takes them in, makes sure they are okay, and then places them with one of her foster carers.

"They've been very healthy since I got them," she said. "They're very friendly, they're very tame, they're easy to handle."

I am in fact one of the foster carers at Hills Cat Rescue and have put my hand up to take on this latest gorgeous litter.

The message Easterbrook wants to highlight once again is for all cat owners to have their cats desexed, which can be done via the RSPCA for free as part of their Community Cat Desexing Program.

Female cats can have up to five litters per year and can fall pregnant from the age of five months. Each litter can comprise of up to six kittens.

Every kitten and cat that comes to Hills Cat Rescue is desexed and has a full health workup before being placed into loving homes.

However Hills Cat Rescue, and most cat rescue organisations, are often at capacity and struggle to keep up with demand.

The organisation relies on donations and the dedication of the volunteers who help care for kittens and cats as well as run fundraising events.

There are currently 35 kittens in their care at the moment, however many of them are about to be desexed and have already found their forever homes.

"Ultimately, we're not doing too badly. We're doing pretty well, actually, for this time of the year for us," Easterbrook said.

Suffice to say, it becomes increasingly difficult to come up with names for each litter.

Easterbrook has been going with band names recently. Other litters have been named after famous TV characters and even food groups like pastas and chocolate.

One litter that came to Hills Cat Rescue over the festive season was named after reindeer and is know as 'The Reindeer Litter'.

A litter named after Powderpuff characters was homed in days. The 'Daria litter' also proved popular.

To add one of Hills Cat Rescue's kittens or cats to your family, head to the Hills Cat Rescue website, find your local cat rescue organisation, or contact the RSPCA or your local vet.

The cost of a kitten at Hills Cat Rescue is $300 which covers the cost of the discounted vet work a local, generous vet undertakes on behalf of the organisation, and it is tax deductible as Hills Cat Rescue is a registered charity.

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