Abandoned cat trapped in taped box breaks free, Texas vet says. Meet Lemon Squeeze

A cat was placed in a suitcase, then sealed inside a cardboard box before being dumped outside a pet clinic in punishing Texas heat, video shows.

In security footage shared with McClatchy News by the China Grove Veterinary Clinic in San Antonio, a woman can be seen walking up to the clinic after hours on May 30 and dropping the box over a chain link fence onto the property. The woman winces as the package hits the pavement, but she quickly turns and walks away.

“What’s in the duct-taped box being delivered after hours in 100 degree weather? A living breathing sweltering hot suffering cat,” the clinic said in a June 5 Facebook post.

Four days passed before staff noticed the unusual package, but the abandoned cat was able to break out of its suitcase and cardboard box prison by day two, owner and medical director of the clinic, Elizabeth Noble, told McClatchy News in a Facebook message.

While reviewing security video, Noble noticed the box moved seemingly all on its own from where it had been dropped, she said. The cat was likely thrashing around inside, struggling off and on as it fought to get out.

Then a pair of “glowing eyes” were spotted in the dark one night. Soon after, an orange and white male cat was found hiding in a fenced-in yard at the clinic, Noble said.

Staff brought the cat inside, gave him food and water, a bed and litter box, she said. Despite the harsh conditions he had endured and the dangerous situation he escaped, the cat was in decent shape.

“He had been out of the box for a couple of days already so I guess was able to stabilize a bit and had access to water outside,” Noble said.

A staff member adopted the cat and named him Lemon Squeeze, she said.

Things ended happily for Lemon Squeeze, but he got lucky. Noble hopes this incident can serve as an example for pet owners of what not to do.

“We are not accepting special deliveries in this manner and your actions are illegal, ma’am,” the clinic said, regarding the woman who abandoned Lemon Squeeze. “Be a responsible adult human and find a legal and humane way to handle your situation.”

City of San Antonio Animal Care Services has been made aware of the incident, Noble said.

This story was originally published June 9, 2024 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Abandoned cat trapped in taped box breaks free, Texas vet says. Meet Lemon Squeeze."