Five tiny kittens found running across a Seminole County trash tipping floor are now in foster homes after waste workers spotted them in a dangerous area and rushed to help.

County officials said they are still trying to determine whether the kittens were dumped there intentionally or somehow arrived at the facility another way. Animal Services also said the case highlights the importance of spaying and neutering stray cats to help prevent more kittens from ending up in unsafe situations.

William Rosado, who works at the facility, said he noticed movement while doing his morning checks as trucks come in.

“Every morning, I come and do a check on this loader, and I saw something running from the corner of my eyes,” Rosado said. “And when I turned around, it was one kitten, a gold kitten.”

Rosado soon realized the kitten was not alone.

“I saw three other kittens,” he said. “And then that gold kitten ran back and pretty much let me know there was another one back there.”

In all, five kittens were found. Rosado said some of his co-workers immediately offered to foster or adopt them, but the animals first needed to be checked by Seminole County Animal Services.

Diane Gagliano, foster program coordinator for Seminole County Animal Services, said staff wanted to make sure the kittens received proper care, including vaccinations and spay or neuter services.

“I think they were probably about four weeks old when we got them in, about a pound,” Gagliano said. “So little tiny things.”

Gagliano said the kittens appeared to be from the same litter, but no mother cat was found nearby. That raised concerns that they may have been abandoned.

“We don’t know yet if they came out of a truck or if they were just brought there by their mom or whatever,” she said.

One kitten that was in poor health did not survive. Gagliano said that kitten was likely the weakest of the litter, but the other four managed to pull through.

Rosado said saving the kittens has brought positivity to many of his colleagues.

“One of the drivers, he actually took the gold cat with him, and he loves that cat,” Rosado said. “He sends me video every other day.”

In Florida, abandoning or dumping animals can result in misdemeanor or felony charges ranging from abandonment, neglect, or animal cruelty.

Animal Services said it works with local rescue groups, like Pet Alliance, to care for kittens or other animals that could be foster candidates, while also focusing on spaying and neutering stray cats to help control the population.

“We’re not going to keep a kitten healthy but have it mating and breeding and more and more kittens come in,” Gagliano said. “So we want to try to keep the population down.”

County officials said anyone who finds a stray kitten or cat should contact or bring the animal to Seminole County Animal Services so it can be spayed or neutered and prepare for adoption.