I don't know why people do this. I do know that it is important to be sure they are abandoned before taking them to the shelter. Our 19 year old cat with kidney disease was very skinny. He had been gaining weight with a new food, but a "helpful" neighbor saw him walking in the neighborhood and took him home. When her geriatric cat had a fit about it, she took him to the pound! She put up signs about him after she dumped him, all alone, scared, and without his special food. When I called her and found out she had done that, I was livid. It cost me $90 to get him out of jail where they revaccinated him with everything! He stopped eating after that. Another $200 later spent at the vet trying to get him back to his normal self didn't work. We had to have him put to sleep. All this while my dad was dying 2000 miles away. I should have sent her the vet and pound bills. I still feel like she killed my cat.