Three tiny kittens dumped in backpack saved moments before falling into recycling plant crusher

A trio of adorable stray kittens who were zipped up in a backpack were almost crushed to death after ending up on a recycling plant conveyor belt. The tabby, marmalade and calico kittens were rescued by worker Barrie Donaldson at the OTC plant in Westampton, New Jersey, last week after he saw the bag move.

‘It’s my job if I see something like that. So, I grabbed the bag and it was cats in there.’ The three kittens had survived a night in a recycling bin, and were feet away from a steel crushing machine which would have killed them, with Donaldson explaining how ‘nothing makes it’ past the device’s steel spikes.

OTC manager Tim Whelihan said the kitties were abandoned outside the plant after a huge snow storm last Wednesday. Somehow, they avoided injury despite being thrown into a compactor, and a trip in a spinning drum which separates materials.

Whelihan said: ‘These cats had three lives gone in one day.’ The kitties are around eight weeks old, and did not suffer any injuries. One worker at the plant immediately adopted the tabby kitten, since named Precious.

The calico and ginger kittens were then adopted by local animal lover Nicole Marshall, who lost her beloved ginger cat the previous week when it was hit by a car.

Nicole’s dad Brian told ABC6: ‘About a week ago, my daughter lost her cat due to it being struck by a car.

‘So my daughter and I came over to look at the one. They brought out the other one. We fell in love with both of them.’

Nicole, who has named her new pets Luna and Sunny, said: ‘We were meant to have these babies now.’

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