The Kitimat Humane Society received an unwelcome package last week.
Shelter manager Maryann Oullet said that a box containing three kittens was left just a few meters down the road from the shelter, all kittens were dead.
A cat which the shelter presumes is the mother, an adult black cat, was seen nearby but was spooked and ran when it saw shelter staff approaching.
The shelter has left out a live trap to collect the cat but it so far has not been successful, but the cat is still seen in the area where the box of kittens was found.
The adult cat is short haired, black, with a tuft of white fur on its chest
Oullet said that all three kittens were found soaking wet.
The shelter posted the grisly find to their Facebook page, along with a photo of the kittens still inside the box, in an effort to crowd-source a suspect in the matter.
What compounds the frustration is that all of the kittens appeared to be a good weight and showed no signs of any illness.
The box must have been placed between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on September 10, as that was a window where Oullet had left in the morning on other animal calls.
She said if they can figure out who left the animals, the person or persons could be charged under animal cruelty laws for causing distress to an animal.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the shelter at 250-632-7373.