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Cats left in taped box rescued during 108-degree heat in Gilbert

By
FOX 10 Phoenix
Pets and Animals
Updated June 18, 2026 7:51 AM MST Published June 17, 2026 4:59 PM MST
Cats abandoned in taped box at Gilbert animal shelter during extreme heat
Cats abandoned in taped box at Gilbert animal shelter during extreme heat

Cats abandoned in taped box at Gilbert animal shelter during extreme heat

An Arizona animal rescue is speaking out after a surveillance camera caught a man leaving two pregnant cats in a taped box with no shade during extreme summer heat. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen learns more. 

The Brief

    • Two cats were left inside a taped box with no shade outside a Gilbert animal rescue when it was 97°F. The high temperature for the day reached 108 degrees.
    • A volunteer discovered the box 15 minutes later, just days before one of the rescued cats gave birth to five kittens.
    • The shelter chose not to report the incident to the police but warned that such abandonment is illegal and cruel.

GILBERT, Ariz. - A Gilbert animal shelter says they are thankful two cats are alive after someone abandoned them in a trapped box in the middle of the day last week. One of the cats gave birth just two days later.

What we know:

The surveillance video starts at 11 a.m. with no shade. The 97-degree sunshine was baking the side door of Friends for Life Animal Rescue as a man gets out of a car and leaves a box, taped shut, then appears to hide his face as he leaves without so much as knocking to alert anyone.

"The front doors were locked we weren't open yet," said Barb Savoy of Friends for Life Animal Rescue.

Courtesy: Friends For Life

Inside the taped box was Brie, a cat who they say clearly just gave birth, and Truffles, who was very pregnant. Fifteen minutes ticked by while the sun continued to beat down on the cats in the box. The high that day was 108. 

"It could have been a lot longer. We just happened to have a volunteer who came by for an unintended reason and discovered the box thankfully," Savoy said.

What they're saying:

Savoy stressed they have signs posted telling people specifically not to do this.

"It is illegal. It is illegal to do that and it's cruel. It's called cruel abandonment," Savoy said.

Why you should care:

So far, they have chosen not to report it to Gilbert police. They know people can be desperate but this, they say, is never the answer.

"Please, in desperation, don't put cats in a box and tape it shut and put it outside a rescue, assuming somebody's going to find it, because by the time they find it, it might be too late," Savoy said.

Timing is everything— just a little longer before someone came by, and the cats might not have made it. There are plenty of signs all around the shelter making clear abandoning animals is illegal.

Dig deeper:

Two days after being found, Truffles gave birth and was rushed to an emergency vet overnight.

"Wasn't eating, wasn't producing milk. We're bottle feeding these kittens, so she ended up in emergency. They were able to clear the blockage, and she's eating great now, so we're hopeful we got her back on the right track," Savoy said.

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What's next:

Truffles had five kittens, but one did not make it. Savoy says it is possible the distress of this day caused the health issues. The four kittens are doing well and will be up for adoption in eight weeks.

The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Friends for Life Animal Rescue, Barb Savoy, and a foster caregiver.

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