A man who said he found five cats and 10 kittens on the side of a central Alberta highway this week recanted his statement and now says that he'd actually rescued the animals from a neglectful relative.

He had initially told an animal rescue group that the felines were found in plastic containers sealed with duct tape along a stretch of Highway 11 east of Red Deer between Stettler ​and Erskine, by the railroad tracks.

The cats are well-fed and friendly, says Deanna Thompson, executive director of Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS). (Saving Grace Animal Society)

Saving Grace Animal Society rescued the animals and transferred them to the care of the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) in Calgary.

According to a Facebook post by Saving Grace, the kittens were sitting in an inch of feces and urine when they were rescued earlier this week.

AARCS said in a Facebook post Friday that the man recanted his statement, saying the cats belonged to a family member who was unable to care for them.

The struggling family was in dire need of support and he knew that they couldn't manage the medical needs required to care for the cats. Out of deep concern for the welfare of these animals and children in the home, he took it upon himself to remove them from the home using plastic storage containers. - Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society, in a Facebook post

"The struggling family was in dire need of support and he knew that they couldn't manage the medical needs required to care for the cats. Out of deep concern for the welfare of these animals and children in the home, he took it upon himself to remove them from the home using plastic storage containers," the post stated.

The man who initially reported the animals abandoned had put them in the plastic containers himself, in order to rescue them from a neglectful home, said AARCS. (Saving Grace Animal Society)

"Losing hope and with nowhere to turn, he took drastic measures in an effort to force attention to the state of these cats."

AARCS said the man has presented himself to authorities and is prepared to face consequences as the Alberta SPCA's investigation is ongoing.

AARCS executive director Deanna Thompson said the animals are doing OK, and the kittens are being treated for some respiratory illnesses.

The agency asked people to avoid passing judgment on the case, saying it's a symptom of the large number of unwanted pets in the province.

"As a society, we need to think about the value of these lives and find a humane and compassionate solution for the massive overpopulation issue so that no one else feels this level of desperation," AARCS wrote.