Pontiac, Michigan - Rescuing abandoned cats is part of the job, but Michigan shelter workers got a real shock after taking care of the box of kittens found at their front door!

The executive director of the Michigan Animal Rescue League, Magee Humes, was off the clock when she got a notification that the shelter's motion sensor had been triggered.

Thanks to the security camera livestream, Magee spotted an abandoned box at the facility's front door. She could already guess what was inside.

"[W]e've seen this kind of thing too many times before, and the box usually contains animals who need our help," Tommy Sanfilippo, MARL's content coordinator, told The Dodo.

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The employee didn't hesitate and headed straight to the shelter. Upon arrival, she peeked into the cardboard box and was greeted by five tiny kittens.

"They had lots of fleas, so some late-night flea baths were in order," Sanfilippo explained.

While the staff was cleaning up the kittens, a fully grown cat appeared at the window and started meowing loudly. "She seemed to be super interested in the kittens," Sanfilippo said.

The cat at the window's stare so intense that the shelter workers decided to check the surveillance‑camera footage again.

"Sure enough, this same cat had popped out of the box not long before our arrival," Sanfilippo said.

The black‑and‑white cat was the abandoned kittens' mama!

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The staff immediately brought the cat that'd gone exploring into the shelter.

The cat's relief was obvious to everyone present: "She was so excited to be reunited with her babies, and she was very friendly with our staff."

Sanfilippo said, "I think she knew that we were there to help."

The mama cat, now named Post‑It, and her kittens – Crayola, Scotch, Expo, Elmer, and Sharpie – are recovering from their abandonment with a foster family.

According to the shelter, these cuties will be up for adoption soon.