History Main / AbandonedPetInABox

* In one episode of ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'', Doraemon helps Nobita secretly care for a box of puppies/kittens. After some [[ItMakesSenseInContext time travel and thought process acceleration]], the two returned to find that the dogs and cats became humanoid, gained the ability to talk, and built a sophisticated civilization with high technology. Apparently, the now-humanoid dogs and cats have decided to leave the Earth to another planet because they've predicted that the Earth will be facing a world-wide disaster.

[[quoteright:350:[[Disney/OliverAndCompany https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oliverkitty_8498.jpg]]]]

* ''Disney/OliverAndCompany'' opens with a box full of kittens being sold on a Manhattan sidewalk. All the kittens are sold except for one - our hero, Oliver - who is callously left in the box on the rain.

In RealLife, if you have a pet that you can't take care of, or your situation has changed and you can no longer take care of your pet, [[DontTryThisAtHome don't just leave it in a box]]; surrender it to a shelter. They'll help the pet find a good, loving home, and care for it in the meantime. (Also, unless you're a licensed breeder, spay and neuter your pets, so you ''won't'' have an entire litter of puppies or kittens you need to decide what to do with.)

* The children mobile game ''[[http://www.foxandsheep.com/little-kitten-my-favorite-cat/ Little Kitten - My Favourite Cat]]'' is about a kitten that was found abandoned in a box. The gameplay revolves around petting and playing with the kitty (called Crumbs) in an interactive house.

* The children mobile game ''[[http://www.foxandsheep.com/little-kitten-my-favorite-cat/ Little Kitten - My Favourite Cat]]'' is about a kitten abandoned in a box that gets into a house and is adopted, the game is about to pet and play with the kitty (called as Crumbs) in an interactive house.

A kind passerby will [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe fawn over]] or otherwise react with sympathy for the abandoned animals and may even adopt them; more callous characters will ignore them or mistreat them outright. The animals themselves may or may not get adopted; luckier ones find their forever homes on the sidewalk while less fortunate puppies and kittens may often have to go through further hardships before finding their happy endings. In RealLife, if you have a pet that you can't take care of, or your situation has changed and you can no longer take care of your pet, [[DontTryThisAtHome don't just leave it in a box]]; surrender it to a shelter. They'll help the pet find a good, loving home, and care for it in the meantime. (Also, unless you're a licensed breeder, spay and neuter your pets, so you ''won't'' have an entire litter of puppies or kittens you need to decide what to do with.)

* Sakamoto from ''Anime/{{Nichijou}}''. Nano has no choice but to leave him behind when he first finds the cat in a box, only to find him again at home courtesy of the professor.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BaltoIIWolfQuest'', Balto and Jenna's puppies are given away in a box. One of them however doesn't get adopted because her looks betray her wolf-dog heritage.

* In the "Go West Young Meowth" episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', it's shown that Meowth was abandoned as a kitten in a nest. He grew up on the streets with [[ParentalAbandonment no parents]], gang, or trainer.

* In the sequel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Balto}}'', Balto and Jenna's puppies are given away in a box. One of them however doesn't get adopted because her looks betray her wolf-dog heritage.

A popular method of introducing a LoyalAnimalCompanion. Sister trope to FromStrayToPet and DoorstopBaby. See also GirlInABox, which uses boxes to introduce a likely major character.

A kind passerby will [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe fawn over]] or otherwise react with sympathy for the abandoned animals and may even adopt them; more callous characters will ignore them or mistreat them outright. The animals themselves may or may not get adopted; luckier ones find their forever homes on the sidewalk while less fortunate puppies and kittens may often have to go through further hardships before finding their happy endings. In RealLife, if you have a pet that you can't take care of, [[DontTryThisAtHome don't just leave it in a box]]; surrender it to a shelter. They'll help the pet find a good, loving home. (Also, unless you're a licensed breeder, spay and neuter your pets, so you ''won't'' have an entire litter of puppies or kittens you need to decide what to do with.)

A kind passerby will [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe fawn over]] or otherwise react with sympathy for the abandoned animals and may even adopt them; more callous characters will ignore them or mistreat them outright. The animals themselves may or may not get adopted; luckier ones find their forever homes on the sidewalk while less fortunate puppies and kittens may often have to go through further hardships before finding their happy endings.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
* This is Riley's backstory in ''Film/HomewardBoundIILostInSanFrancisco''. The boy he was bought as a present for didn't want him, so the parents left Riley in the gutter. Unlike many examples, Riley is ''not'' adopted by a kind passerby; he becomes a street dog with a deep distrust of humans.
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A kind passerby will react with sympathy for the abandoned animals and may even adopt them; more callous characters will ignore them or mistreat them outright. The animals themselves may or may not get adopted; luckier ones find their forever homes on the sidewalk while less fortunate puppies and kittens may often have to go through further hardships before finding their happy endings.