Photo captures driver dropping off cats at shelter

NOVATO, Calif. (KGO) -- The Marin Humane Society has released a surveillance photo in hopes of identifying the mystery people who have been leaving boxes of cats and kittens outside the shelter.

More than 100 cats have been abandoned at the Novato facility in the last year and a half. Almost all are black and white cats.

Surveillance video captured by the Marin Humane Society shows a minivan pulling up to organization Society at 5 a.m. Monday morning. The unidentified people in the video hauled out crate after crate, filled with cats and kittens -- 24 this time.

The act is not illegal, despite how quickly the footage shows the people fleeing the facility.

"Unfortunately, we are not able to get the license plate off the video feed we have," Nancy McKenny, CEO of the Marin Humane Society, said.

The organization has had four separate drop-offs in the last 18 months and it's costing the organization money and stretching resources for food, labor, and medical care, since none of the animals arrive with medical histories.

McKenny said these dropoffs are somewhat of problem.

"The only thing we have received is a couple of notes thanking us for taking care of the cats," said Lisa Bloch, a spokesperson for the Marin Humane Society.

Part of the note reads, "Our neighbor down the street and had to be placed in a care facility..."

Bloch said she's not sure she believes what's written on the note.

Many of the abandoned animals are kittens appear to be related. Staffers say whoever is doing it has a good heart, but they're trying to find them so they can offer help spaying and neutering the cats.