What began as a heartbreaking act of animal abandonment is now turning into a story of compassion, rescue, and second chances.
Surveillance video captured just after 10 AM Sunday near Donn Eisele Park shows a woman carrying a box and dumping at least five kittens onto the ground. The entire incident happened in less than 90 seconds.
A nearby resident, Glenn Jenkins, says he was stunned by what he saw.
“I was disgusted and horrified when I saw that lady just dump those poor kittens out of a box and onto the ground,” Jenkins said.
Moments later, the person in the video drove away, leaving the kittens behind but one man quickly stepped in.
“I went back home, got some tuna, tried to lure them out,” said Peter Carey who lives nearby.
He was able to gather four of the five kittens and bring them to safety, keeping them overnight at his home.
Carey says the kittens were already showing signs of settling in: playful, energetic, and even using the litter box.
He believes the situation could have been handled very differently.
“Be a human. Just have a little bit more compassion,” he said. “It’s really ridiculous that you would pass maybe some veterinary clinics or animal shelters to go to the park and dump cats. It makes no sense to me.”
Within hours, the kittens began finding new homes.
The Olhovich family adopted two of them, hoping the pair will keep each other company after losing a cat recently.
His mother, Erica, said the decision was also emotional for their family.
“My sons loved the cat. It helped them a lot emotionally,” she said.
As CBS News Miami cameras rolled, another potential adopter even called in to claim one of the remaining kittens.
With adoptions happening quickly, only one kitten remained as of the latest update.
Wilton Manors Police say they are actively investigating the incident and hope to identify the person responsible. If you have any information call Detective Plante at 954-390-2172.
If you are interested in adopting the remaining kitten, you can contact Peter Carey on Instagram at PeterAnthonii.
