Just a few weeks before Christmas, a backpack with cat designs — with three tiny felines stuffed inside — was placed into a recycling container, and the contents were thrown into a truck as a snowstorm passed through the region.

The trucks, equipped with active compressors, crush the contents to make room as more materials are collected.

RELATED: Kitten saved from being crushed in a garbage truck

From the truck, the kittens were dumped into a pile at the county’s recycling center. That pile was put into a processing machine. It was only after going through a wheel designed to break down recyclables that one plant worker saw something abnormal; a moving, crying backpack.

“I saw the bookbag … and it was moving a little bit,” said the compassionate worker, who stopped the conveyor belt to check out what was in the bag.

Despite being tossed about on the trip and in the machinery, the kittens — two girls and one boy — were uninjured.

One kitten, now named Precious, was adopted by a worker at the plant. The remaining two, Sonny and Luna, were adopted by Brian and his family.

Brian says they learned about the kittens a day after their cat, Boss, passed away from being hit by a car.

“They brought out the tabby Sonny first and we fell in love with him,” he said. “We asked to see the other kitten, and they brought out Luna.”

Brian said they decided to take both kittens after seeing them together. “We couldn’t break them up,” he added.

 The County animal shelter provided free spay and neutering services for the rescues.

RELATED: Kitten rescued from a moving pickup truck

Officials emphasized that anyone who needs to surrender any unwanted litter can do so at the animal shelter “no questions asked.” and that something like this should never happen again.

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