A New Jersey woman who runs an animal rescue in Atlantic County is hoping to find out who dumped nearly two dozen cats outside of the rescue’s entrance on Wednesday.

“I was so hurt and angry that somebody would do this to these animals,” says Funny Farm Animal Rescue owner Laurie Zaleski.

The Mays Landing rescue has had animals dumped outside their property before. But Zaleski says that this time she is frustrated. Twenty-one cats of different ages were left on the side of the road just beyond the entrance.

"There was one large crate, like a dog crate, and three smaller ones with cats and kittens jammed in there to the point where I couldn't count how many heads were there because they were just on top of each other,” Zaleski says. “There was no food or water. There was no blankets.”

Zaleski says that the cats were left right outside the range of the rescue’s security cameras. But she says that she is hopeful that the cameras caught the car involved.

“The police came out and took photos of everything,” she says. “We have cameras of people driving by, so the police are looking into those license plates now.”

While police investigate, Zaleski says that her focus is on getting the cats healthy and ready for new homes. Potential adopters are already reaching out to her.

Zaleski says that her message to the community is that there is always another option than abandoning pets.

“There are cat rescues, dog rescues. They’ll have specific breed rescues. There’s always someplace that can help and if nothing else, then there’s your ASPAs. Some of them are kill shelters, but at least you can get some help and get your pet adopted,” Zaleski says.

Some of the cats will be ready to be adopted within the next few weeks. More information can be found on the Funny Farm Animal Rescue website.