EATONTOWN — The Monmouth County SPCA is trying to identify a woman who dropped off five cages containing a total of 20 cats at its office early Saturday morning.

In security video posted on the MCSPCA's Facebook page, a woman wearing a mask is seen pulling up to the organization's curb in a black Mazda CX-7, opening up the hatch and carrying the cages to the door.

None of the cages had food or water, according to the MCSPCA. A note was left that said their caretaker had died, the groups said.

The license plates on the vehicle were covered, according to MCSPCA executive director Ross Licitra.

Licitra said a few leads have been developed from the post.

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The cats were fed and provided warm bedding, according to the MCSPCA. They will be checked over by veterinarians to make sure none are in immediate need of medical attention and eventually put up for adoption, it said.

The MCSPCA it is post said it is "saddened" that the woman believed abandoning the cats was her only option.

"We understand that this individual was trying to do the right thing, however it is totally inappropriate and unsafe to abandon animals outside not to mention, illegal by New Jersey state law," the MCSPCA wrote.

The temperature in nearby Oceanport was 53 degrees on Saturday morning, according to Chief meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

"Lucky for the kitty cats, temperatures were moderated by a breeze coming off the ocean. So it wasn't as cold as northwest New Jersey, where thermometers dipped to the freezing mark," Zarrow said.

Licitra, who is also chief of humane law enforcement for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, asked anyone with information about the cats to call the Monmouth County Cruelty Hotline at 877-898-7297.

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