Two local animal rescues are caring for 37 cats, some of which were pregnant, that were found Friday dumped in a field.

The felines were frightened but in decent health, said Jen Johnson, founder of Ninth Life Rescue Center, who is partnering with Wayward Whiskers Animal Rescue to get the cats veterinary care and prepared for adoption.

“They were petrified, they were so scared,” she said. “They were just like frozen in place.”

The animals were found off Athena Drive, which runs from Delmont into Salem and connects with Route 819, by two sets of Good Samaritans who live nearby. One of the Good Samaritans is fostering the felines until they are ready for adoption in a few weeks.

Johnson doesn’t think the cats were there long — they were infested with fleas and had hair loss. There was no food or shelter left for them and they all appeared to have been indoor cats, she said. In the meantime, Johnson said Greensburg police are trying to find out who dumped them.

“Dumping animals is illegal, abandonment is illegal and we need somebody to face consequences,” she said.

All of the animals have similar light gray coloring, which leads Johnson to believe they are related.

“We’re hoping that somebody saw something,” she said. “We’re hoping that somebody comes forward.”

She encouraged pet owners to get their animals spayed or neutered. Anyone who cannot care for animals they have should get in touch with local rescues instead of dumping them.

Both rescues are accepting donations to help with the felines’ care that they estimate to be $4,000 each. Donations can be directed to Ninth Life through the center’s Facebook page or online at ninthliferescue.com/fundraisers.

Wayward Whiskers is accepting donations through the rescue’s Facebook page or online at waywardanimalrescue.com/donate.

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