Rubbish collector makes cruel discovery in garbage bin

WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: A garbage collector has rescued a kitten from a rubbish bin, found dumped and encased in hardened spray foam in an act of animal cruelty.

The sanitation worker was using a hydraulic arm to empty a waste bin near Hillsboro, in the US state of Oregon, but the can wouldn’t empty, said Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian van Kleef.

The worker then peered inside and saw the kitten hanging from the can upside down by its back legs.

Its head and paws were covered in hard, white foam but it managed to meow, Mr van Kleef said.

The garbage collector took the kitten to his company offices where he and others used razors to cut off as much foam as they could before taking the animal to a vet.

The kitten is expected to make a full recovery.

“That cat is really lucky and we’re lucky that he actually took the time to check it out,” said Mr van Kleef, who added that the kitten’s abuse is being treated as an animal cruelty case.

It’s not clear who covered the kitten in foam, and no arrests have been made.

The cleaned up kitten is resting in an animal shelter until he makes a full recovery. He will be returned to his owners, who are not suspects.

Mr Van Kleef said the owners have several barn cats and the kitten was from a recent litter.

“The owners expressed interest in getting the cat back so they will probably get him back, although there’s a long list of people who want him,” he said.

The rescue comes after NSW firefighters resuscitated a small kitten which was pulled unresponsive from a stormwater drainpipe.

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