“My name is baby, my mom can’t take care of me anymore. Please find me and my sister our next home,” the note read

A North Carolina shelter is reaching out to a pet owner who had to make a heart-wrenching choice.

A pair of cats were recently left outside Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville, along with a note written on one of the felines’ carriers.

“My name is baby, my mom can’t take care of me anymore. Please find me and my sister our next home. Thank you,” the note read.

In a touching gesture, the shelter posted a message to the cats’ owner on Facebook to reassure them that their beloved animals will be well cared for by its staff.

“Such a heartbreaking message, written on a cat carrier and left in the shade of our play yard,” Brother Wolf wrote, alongside photos of the two cats and the owner’s note.

“To the person who left them… They are safe with us, and thank you for trusting us with your cats you so clearly loved; we understand you didn’t have another choice, and we hope you are ok.”

The cats, named Junebug and Magpie, according to NBC affiliate WHNS, were listed for adoption. Both felines have unspecified special needs, the outlet reported.

In a similar story, a dog owner left her 8-month-old canine Milo outside an Atlanta-area shelter, LifeLine Animal Project, on Aug. 17. In a handwritten note left with Milo, the owner explained that they were homeless and unable to continue caring for the dog.

“Please do not judge me on this single act alone. I am simply a human being trying to do what’s best for my puppy,” the owner wrote. “I have tried rehoming and searching for fosters. I cannot support him and myself. This is the only way. I know you will take him, and he’s safe. He’s a sweetheart and very well-mannered and trained.”

The owner also shared important details about Milo, including his age and vaccination status.

Like Brother Wolf in North Carolina, LifeLine posted a message to Milo’s owner on Facebook, hoping to help reunite the pair. After reassuring the owner that the dog had been found and taken into their care, the shelter acknowledged the owner’s difficult decision to give up their beloved pet.

“We thought of how it must have felt for you to write that message as you left your loved one behind,” LifeLine wrote in the post. “What a brave act of self-sacrifice to risk scorn and judgment while trying to do what was best for Milo. Because of your note, we knew Milo’s name, how old he is, that he has been friends with other dogs and cats, and that he is very obviously loved.”

The message continued, “Because of your note, we knew Milo’s name, how old he is, that he has been friends with other dogs and cats, and that he is very obviously loved. We love him, too, and will do everything in our power to help him go home. If you are reading this and there’s any chance that we can help reunite you with Milo and support both of you, please reach out.”

LifeLine later shared an update on their search for Milo’s owner. “We are in awe of our incredible community’s response to Milo’s story,” they said in a statement to PEOPLE. “His post has been shared far and wide, and we are grateful for everyone’s efforts to help us find his owner. After exhausting every option at hand, we still weren’t able to find his owner.”

It wasn’t long before Milo found a new home, LifeLine said. “An incredible family came to the shelter, and they fell head over heels for this sweet boy,” the rescue shared, noting they felt it best that the dog did not languish too long at the crowded facility.

“Shelters are very hard on dogs, especially big, young pups with lots of energy and love to give,” the Lifeline explained to PEOPLE. “We felt the chances of reuniting Milo at this point were very slim, especially after all the coverage, and we didn’t want him to deteriorate in the shelter without a family to spoil him. We’re happy to report that Milo is now adopted, loved, and in a fantastic home with his new family.”