7 kittens found abandoned in duffle bag in Piedmont Park

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - A Good Samaritan rescued seven kittens from a life-threatening situation Monday afternoon.

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According to the Atlanta Humane Society, someone zipped the kittens in a duffel bag and dumped it in Piedmont Park. The rescuer heard the animals' cries, discovered the babies in the bag and immediately turned them over to the Atlanta Humane Society.

"I don't know how much longer they would have survived in a situation like that. So, I'm super thankful the Good Samaritan found them when they did," explained Amanda Harris, marketing programs manager for the Atlanta Humane Society.

The kittens were found malnourished and dehydrated with some of them suffering from eye and upper respiratory infections.

"We've been bottle feeding them, syringe feeding them because they are too young to eat on their own right now," said Harris.

This is a time some refer to as "kitten season," when many mother cats give birth.  Harris said people are more likely to encounter kittens at this time and should leave their mothers to care for them.

"Their best chance of survival is with their mom," Harris explained. "Don't immediately remove the kittens from the situation.  The most likely scenario is that mom is off getting food or that she's watching from nearby.  So, if you find a nest of kittens, check back on them every couple of hours. If you're able to provide food for mom, that's great [...] of course if mom doesn't return within three to four hours, then at that point, you could call your local animal control or humane society and ask what their recommendation is to do at that point."

Harris said they are not sure what may have led someone to abandon the kittens in the park, but there is no surveillance video of the incident that could lead investigators to the person responsible.

"My guess is that this person didn't understand or know what their resources are, that this city is full of animal rescue groups and animal welfare groups and shelters that can help," she explained.

The kittens have been placed in foster homes until they are old enough and strong enough for adoption.