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Kitten Found in Paper Bag in Virginia Dumpster

Jul 31, 2023

Toby the tuxedo cat was saved after a hospital employee heard a "concerning" sound coming from the dumpster

Facebook/Angels of Assisi

Staff at a Virginia hospital let the cat out of the bag — literally.

Employees at a hospital in Roanoke, including a hospital police officer, saved a kitten after it was discovered abandoned in a paper bag in a dumpster on Monday.

An employee of Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, part of Carilion Clinic, heard a "concerning" sound coming from a dumpster near the hospital, according to a Facebook post from local animal welfare organization Angels of Assisi.

Facebook/Angels of Assisi

The worker then asked one of the hospital's police officers, whose name badge reads J.A. Grotta, to examine the scene, where he discovered the source of the noise — an abandoned kitten.

At only 6 weeks old, the fuzzy feline was placed in a paper grocery bag, then left in a hospital dumpster.

In one of the photos the animal welfare organization posted, the gray-eyed tuxedo cat is barely big enough to fit in the officer’s hand. In another, the kitten looks directly at the camera as an Angels of Assisi employee holds him on their shoulder.

A final photo shared by the organization shows the Kroger grocery bag the kitten was found in.

"We've named this cute boy Toby," the organization wrote in the post detailing his rescue.

Angels of Assisi shared that the tuxedo cat received veterinary care and is currently "in a loving foster home getting lots of TLC."

Toby will stay in foster care "until he is old enough to be adopted," the post said.

Facebook/Angels of Assisi

"Thank you to Carilion Clinic for saving Toby," the organization concluded.

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Community members flocked to the post's comment section, thanking the officer and organization for saving the little meower.

"What is wrong with this world???" one commenter wrote. "My little Tuxie kitty was a dumpster baby, too. So thankful someone found him!"

In a post on Angels of Assisi’s Instagram account featuring the same photos and caption, Carilion Clinic responded, commenting, “Glad to help! Thank you for taking care of Toby and helping him find a home 😍.”

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