Four cats left in a mesh tunnel in the rain in Asbury Park have been rescued, and a woman faces cruelty charges

Four cats that were zipped into a mesh tunnel and left outside in pouring rain in Asbury Park, New Jersey, have a happy ending: the Monmouth County SPCA says all four have now been adopted, ABC7 New York reported on Saturday, Oct. 24. The woman accused of leaving them there faces animal cruelty and abandonment charges.

The case drew wide attention after the shelter shared photos of the rain-soaked animals and their recovery on Facebook.

What happened to the Asbury Park cats?

According to Asbury Park police, as reported by NJ.com, the cats were left in a mesh tunnel on the 1300 block of Summerfield Avenue on Oct. 11. New Jersey 101.5 said the tunnel was outside a home on that street.

The Monmouth County SPCA said the animals were found “soaking wet, freezing, covered in fleas, and beyond confused about what was happening to them,” ABC7 reported. The shelter said the cats had been “discarded outside like trash.”

Asbury Park police and the SPCA’s Animal Control Team responded, rescued the cats and took them to the shelter, where they were examined and treated, according to Daily Voice and ABC7. The SPCA called the abandonment a “sickening example of how cruel and insensitive people can be towards animals,” Daily Voice reported.

Who was charged?

The SPCA said early on that the person responsible had been “quickly identified” and would face charges, though it did not initially say who or which charges, Daily Voice reported.

NJ.com later reported that a woman who abandoned her four cats had been charged with animal cruelty. New Jersey 101.5, citing News 12 New Jersey, reported that a 33-year-old woman faces animal cruelty and abandonment charges and that a court date was set for later in October. The charges are accusations; no outcome in court has been reported.

Meet the cats

The SPCA gave the four cats names and cared for them for more than a week before they were spayed and neutered, NJ.com reported. According to NJ.com and New Jersey 101.5, they are:

“When we say these cats are affectionate, we really mean it,” the shelter said on Facebook, according to New Jersey 101.5, adding that visitors to their gazebo were quickly “swarmed with a furry cuddle puddle.”

Are the cats still available for adoption?

Reports changed over the week. NJ.com and New Jersey 101.5 reported around Oct. 21 and 22 that Morticia had been adopted and that Delilah, Matisse and Autumn would soon be available. ABC7’s Saturday report, citing the SPCA, says all four cats have since been adopted. Anyone hoping to adopt one of them should check with the Monmouth County SPCA directly, since the latest update indicates they have found homes.

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