Discarded laundry basket has more than laundry

[Catherine]

A woman driving down a quiet street spotted a laundry basket  on the side of the road.. Then she noticed something that made her stop.
She could see a little nose sticking out of one of the holes in the basket. When she looked, there were two frightened cats hiding under the laundry.
She called local animal control and the cats were rescued. They were definitely not feral cats. They had not been living outside. They were happy to be rescued.
They will be up for adoption soon as a bonded pair.

https://www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/drive...se-pop-out

My first thought was how pretty the two cats were. Also how lucky they were to be spotted so quickly. Anything could have happened to them. They were not outdoor cats. I can understand that people have to give up a pet sometimes. Things happen that make it hard to care for a pet. What I can't understand is abandoning a pet. These cats scared and confused. They were in danger out there. If you can take the time to abandon your pets somewhere, why not abandon 
them at an animal shelter. If you cared for the pet at all, why leave them scared and in danger.