PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
Four kittens have died and another is recovering at a local animal hospital after they were left in a taped-up bucket near a Portland intersection.
Employees at the Dove Lewis Animal Hospital say the kittens were brought in by animal control workers after they were found on the street near 187th and Stark.
SLIDESHOW: Surviving
kitten "full of life and love"
The 6-week-old kittens were left in a bucket that was taped shut, employees said. Investigators believe that was done to keep the kittens from getting out.
Four of the five kittens had died by the time they arrived at the hospital, employees said.
Veterinarians say they often treat stray animals abandoned in dumpsters, but they believe this was a malicious act.
The surviving kitten has an upper respiratory infection. He's amazingly full of life and love, employees said.
If you have any information about what happened, you're asked to call Multnomah County Animal Services.
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