YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Animal authorities in Youngstown say two kittens found on the city's east side could be a red flag that dogfighting is taking place in the area. 

A Facebook post by the non-profit rescue shelter West Side Cats has been shared more than 1,000 times.

The post shows two male kittens. One is dyed blue, and the other is dyed a reddish color. The dye is a possible indicator the kittens were being used in some form of animal betting. One, animal officials say, has been historically popular in dogfighting.

"They'll take a group of kittens, dye them each a different color and then toss them in with a pit bull. Then they bet on who lives the longest, who dies first, who puts up the best fight, if one gets out, all kinds of sick stuff," said Kimm Koocher, whose volunteered with West Side Cats for more than a decade.

Senior Mahoning County Deputy Dog Warden Dave Nelson said the kittens were found in the Rockford Village Apartments, off McGuffy Road. He said there are a couple of streets in that area animal officials have been monitoring, and these kittens are potentially a red flag.

"Generally, you look at the area. You look at our information as far as we have here on different people throughout that area and it kind of alerts us that maybe somebody is starting up again as far as that goes," said Nelson.

Nelson said it had been several years since they've found kittens colored for this purpose in the city, but they'll now continue to monitor the area with added vigilance.

As for the two kittens, other than being riddled with fleas, they checked out okay.

They're now in a foster home and will be available for adoption in a few weeks.