The B.C. SPCA is caring for nine cats that were found trapped inside storage bins, left outside on a vacant property in Prince George.

In a written statement from the SPCA's North Cariboo & District Animal Centre, services manager Alex Schare said they received a call from a property manager, who heard the cats meowing from inside the bins and took them to the vet.

The cats had been trapped in the containers for days without food or water. They were breathing through air holes that had been punched in the containers.

Despite what they have been through, the cats are 'vocal and friendly.' (BC SPCA)

There are two kittens and seven adult cats. Some of the cats scored only one on the body condition scale of one to nine. Some of the cats were so badly matted that their fur had to be shaved.

"These cats were starving and matted with feces and urine. Some of the adult cats would not have lived much longer and will require a refeeding plan to slowly reintroduce their bodies to food," said Schare in the statement.

Schare said that despite what they had been through, the cats are "vocal and friendly."

The statement said that it's unknown who abandoned the cats. The SPCA is asking anyone with information about these cats to call its toll-free hotline at 1-855-622-7722.