3 Cats Dumped in Field Near St. Ignatius [VIDEO]

My wife and I were on a road trip to pick up our daughter near St. Ignatius and noticed a large farmers truck near three cats in a field off in the distance. Being the cat lovers that we are, our eyes quickly noticed them just in time for the truck to speed off down the road.

It took us a moment to register what exactly was happening. Did the farmer just stop by to say hi to his cats? Or something else? It was soon after that we realized the cats were being left behind to fend for themselves. 

We were not able to get the license plate of the vehicle unfortunately, but we were able to get to the scene before the cats darted off to the field. One cat appeared to be a protective mother who seemed to already be in survival mode. A darker skinny kitten stood close to moms side. Then there was "Fluffy" (the name our daughter instantly named her) who ran up to my wife and instantly turned over on its back to beg for belly rub.

Fluffy was matted with mud and feces all of its fur. Its ears were clogged with dirt and was almost too fragile to touch, yet it still purred and played with our hands when we reached out for it. Getting that cat in the backseat of our SUV was not a problem, but by then the others darted too far down the field for us to catch them.

Sadly, this is not the first time I found a stray animal on the side of the road. Three years ago I found a bulldog on the verge of death and reportedly abused by children at a community center nearby. That dog is now in the loving arms of my mother-in-law and the best pet any person could have. Still, it makes me wonder about how widespread this epidemic in this community?

After posting photos on Facebook, I was almost instantly put in touch with our local AniMeals center and was told to bring him (we shortly after found out it was a boy) in to get checked out and possibly checked in for adoption. Although to be quite honest, it's going to be quite difficult to convince our daughter that  we can't keep him along with the other shelter cats we've already adopted over the years. We shall see how strong willed of a parent I am. ;)

AniMeals has also inquired about setting traps in the field where we found Fluffy so that we can possibly reunite him with his family.  Also the emergency vet on Reserve Street in Missoula went above and beyond this evening to brush the mats out and check for worms.

I just want to take a moment and thank everyone who was concerned and willing to help, and most especially AniMeals and our local vets for all they have done for our community and furry friends. We weren't able to rescue them all (Yet. Stay tuned.), but every life we save in this area makes for some true happiness and health for our little ones.

We will keep you posted on the latest.