A cat in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had to have its leg amputated after it was found to have had firecrackers tied to its front paw that exploded.
The cat, now named Pickles, is now recovering at Humane Animal Rescue.
The group shared Pickles’s story to its Facebook page.
“This poor girl came to us over the weekend after being brought in by good Samaritans,” the group announced.
“Upon closer inspection, our team realized that firecrackers had been tied to her front left paw with rubber bands which, at that point, was severely infected and infested with maggots.”
Vets estimate that the cat was harmed around the Fourth of July based on the status of the wound, the group said.
“There wasn’t really any paw left. What was still there was barely hanging on by the rubber bands,” said Jamie Wilson, Director of Medical Business, in the announcement.
“Her bone was exposed and she was severely dehydrated. I had to stop her from eating & drinking too quickly so she wouldn’t get sick,” he said.
The rescue group made the call to amputate the cat’s leg “due to the extent of the injury and infection,” and the amputation went smoothly.
“We had to help. She was badly hurt, and we couldn’t let any animal suffer like that,” said Kenny and Kellie, who found Pickles, according to the post.
“We feel so relieved knowing that she is in good hands and that we played a part in saving her life. We wish we could help more animals in need.”
Messages to the group poured in expressing sympathy toward the cat’s predicament. Most said that they are thankful Pickles is still alive and is expected to recover.
“I can’t comprehend this. I really can’t. How could anyone do such a horrible thing?” one person wrote. “My eyes are a little watery. Glad she will be safe. Poor baby.”
Another wrote: “What is wrong with some people? Thank you to Kenny, Kellie and all of the vets and staff that helped save this sweet baby.”
The rescue group says it expects Pickles to recover, at which time she will be up for adoption.
Government Efforts to Tackle Animal Abuse
According to the Humane Society, a non-profit dedicated to resolving animal welfare problems, the animals that are most often reported as abused are dogs, cats, horses, and livestock.
Fifty states across the United States currently have laws that prevent cruelty against animals, however, if animals get tortured across state lines, there is little to protect them.
On Jan. 23 this year, two Florida congressmen proposed a bipartisan bill that would make cruelty against animals a felony across the country. With the proposed bill, authorities will have federal jurisdiction to go after the culprits. They will also be able to prosecute those who engage in acts of cruelty on federal property.
Back in 2016, the FBI added “cruelty to animals” as a data set in its Uniform Crime Reporting Program, a criminal reporting system commonly used in homicide investigations across the country. Before that, crimes that involved animals had been put into an “All Other Offenses” category.
In its data collection of crime reports, the FBI divides cases of animal cruelty into four categories: simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse (for example, dogfighting and cockfighting), and animal sexual abuse.
“Some studies say that cruelty to animals is a precursor to larger crime,” Nelson Ferry, from the FBI’s Criminal Statistics Management Unit, said in a release at the time.
“If somebody is harming an animal, there is a good chance they also are hurting a human,” said John Thompson, deputy executive director of the National Sheriffs’ Association, said in the release. “If we see patterns of animal abuse, the odds are that something else is going on.”
At the time, Thompson urged the public to rethink the notion that animal cruelty is just a crime against animals.
“It’s a crime against society,” he said. “By paying attention to [these crimes], we are benefiting all of society.”
