Thirty cats in cages and carriers were found off the Southern State Parkway. The animals were domesticated, but they appeared abandoned.

It was a jarring discovery made by teenagers who were riding their bikes through the woods next to the Southern State Parkway on Tuesday. “There were like five to 10 cats in the dog crate over here,” said animal rescuer John Debacker who took NBC New York into the woods where he rescued the cats and kittens.

A discovery by two teenagers Tuesday afternoon led to the rescue of 30 cats found abandoned in cages in a wooded area just off the Bethpage Bikeway in South Farmingdale.