Animal Abuse: Kitten burned alive - Santa Rosa, CA | Pet-Abuse.Com Animal Cruelty Database

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Case ID: 11712

Classification: Burning - Fire or Fireworks

Animal: cat

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Kitten burned alive
Santa Rosa, CA (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007
County: Sonoma

Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 3 files available

Alleged:
» 15 year old girl
» 15 year old girl

Case Updates: 5 update(s) available

Adam, the black short-hair kitten that was reportedly torched inside a cage in Santa Rosa's Apple Valley neighborhood Wednesday, is struggling for his life at a local animal hospital.

Meanwhile, outrage over the incident continues to build as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people who burned the 2-month-old kitten has tripled to $3,000.

Adam and five other feral kittens that had been trapped by an Apple Valley resident were taken Wednesday from just outside the resident's apartment, where they were being held in two cages.

The kitten, later named Adam by a rescuer, was found burned alive while the other kittens have yet to be located, according to Sonoma County Animal Control officials.

Veterinarians caring for Adam said it was still too early to tell whether he would survive because of the high risk of infection where-ever there is dead skin tissue. The kitten received second- and third-degree burns over 75 percent of his body.

"He's got a long way to go, a lot of skin has got to come off and his tail is probably going to have to be amputated," said Katheryn Hinkle, owner of Animal Hospital of Cotati.

On Monday afternoon, Hinkle and other hospital staff washed Adam's badly burned body with a saline solution and replaced bandages on his wounds. His body and legs shook from pain, said Hinkle.

"So sorry. So sorry," said Hinkle, as she cleaned Adam's wounds.

The kitten is being given a continuous intravenous dose of morphine to lessen his pain. After his bandaging was replaced, hospital staff fed Adam a can of cat food using a tongue depressor.

"That's the home run right there," said Hinkle.

Jennifer Kirchner, executive director of Forgotten Felines, said she hopes the $3,000 reward will encourage people to come forward with information about the crime.

Forgotten Felines, a nonprofit dedicated to the humane care and control of the feral cat population, is paying for the care of the kitten.

Sarah Bowlan, an Apple Valley resident who first treated the kitten immediately after he was burned, said she's collected more than $100 from local residents to help pay for the kitten's medical costs.

Bowlan, who is known as the "Cat Lady," said Monday she was horrified to see how badly Adam had been burned.

"I was in shock. I didn't know whether I should grab him with my hands or a wet towel," said Bowlan. "I picked him up and walked him to the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink. He turned his head and started lapping water from my hand."

"I didn't think he was going to make it until he looked at me in the eye. He wanted to live," said Bowlan, crying.

Two young children at the apartment complex interviewed Monday said they had seen two teenage girls standing on the opposite bank of Paulin Creek, next to a cage. They said they heard a cat crying and a short while later saw something burning.

The children, along with others, said they recovered the kitten and the cage and brought it to the apartment manager.

Sonoma County Animal Control officials said they had not talked to any children but would continue their investigation today.

Hinkle, the Cotati animal hospital owner, said she and other medical staff will treat the kitten as long as there's a chance for his survival, opting not to euthanize the animal.

"Feral kittens are the garbage of the community," she said. "Already, he's got one strike against him. It's not his fault. We want to do our part to make this a better place than that."

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County at 576-7999 or Sonoma County Animal Control, 565-7100.

Case Updates

The cat recuperating from severe burns received during the summer will need another month of healing before he can be adopted and brought into a permanent home.

"He now has fur growing on his skin grafts on his back, which is excellent. Pretty soon, he won't need his little sweaters," said Jennifer Kirchner, executive director of Forgotten Felines.

The black cat, named Adam by caregivers and now 21 weeks old, was brought to the Animal Hospital of Cotati in late June after he was found on the banks of Paulin Creek in Santa Rosa with third-degree burns over 45 percent of his body.

The cat had been intentionally set on fire in a cage and two juvenile suspects face charges in the case.

The latest medical review brought Kirchner, veterinary surgeon Lisa Alexander of Animal Care Center and Adam's nurse, Tina Wright of Animal Hospital of Cotati, together for a nose-to-toe examination of the cat after the removal of a few sutures.

The group had hoped to clear Adam for adoption. They determined further surgeries will not be needed. But a continuing healing of his rectal area and other elimination issues will delay any decision on adoption for at least a month.

"These issues will be resolved with a little care. He just needs a little bit more time," Kirchner said.

Alexander said that the journey from her first examination, when Adam was a small kitten and severely burned, to the final chapter in his medical care was remarkable mainly due to the patient's demeanor.

"Even on the first day, he was so trusting. Not very many people who suffered what he suffered could be that trusting. Clearly, he never gave up and clearly, even as a feral, he accepted our help," she said.

The case required several surgeries and multiple skin grafts.

"Being able to manage a patient like this and give him back his quality of life. . . . That's why I became a veterinarian," Alexander said.

The cat captured the attention and brought concern from people far beyond Sonoma County's borders. Alexander said the case has renewed her faith in people, many of whom mailed in donations for his care, an amount that grew to more than $40,000.

Source: Press-Democrat - Sep 15, 2007
Update posted on Sep 16, 2007 - 5:05PM

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To contact the prosecutor in this case, write to:

Stephan R. Passalacqua
Sonoma County District Attorney
600 Administration Drive, Room 212J
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
ph: 707-565-3098
email: [email protected]

Update posted on Aug 29, 2007 - 2:19AM

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The father of one of the girls accused of burning a feral kitten on the banks of Paulin Creek said his daughter pleaded not guilty this week to felony animal cruelty and that a trial is set for early September.

The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office would not release any information about the case because details about juvenile proceedings are protected under state law.

The father, who asked that his name not be used, said his teenage daughter and the other teenage girl have been in Juvenile Hall since they were arrested a little more than a month ago. He said the courts have refused to release his daughter to his custody.

"I guess they just want to make an example out of my daughter," he said. "They should be given help, not trying to get vengeance."

Meanwhile, investigators for the Sonoma County Public Defender's Office have been interviewing people in the Apple Valley neighborhood near Paulin Creek where the kitten, who has been given the name Adam, was burned.

The mother of the 11-year-old boy who said he saw two teen girls on the other side of the creek standing next to a trapper's cage said investigators interviewed her son in recent weeks. She said that one of the investigators, Carlos Escobedo, asked her to sign a document that would allow him to access the boy's school records.

"He said it was part of the investigation," the mother said, speaking in Spanish. "I told him I didn't want any problems. He said it was confidential and that the information would never be released."

The mother of the boy, who appears to be the only witness, said she signed the document because she felt intimidated.

"I thought that if I refused, he might think I had something to hide," she said. "I felt fear that they would do something to him."

Escobedo said Thursday he could not comment on the matter because "it is a confidential investigation involving a juvenile."

Assistant District Attorney Christine Cook said that juvenile court proceedings are closed to the public under state law and no information can be released.

Cook said that includes any "determination whether the juveniles should continue to be detained," as well as the court decision in the case.

"I won't be able to release any information to you about confidential juvenile proceedings because it is protected by California state law," Cook said.

The accused girl's father insists his daughter did not burn the kitten. He said the ones responsible for the crime are "little boys" he referred to as "gang members."

He said his daughter initially said she was responsible because she was afraid of retaliation and did not want to be labeled a snitch.

"She took the cats, but she's not the one that burned them," he said.

Bob Garcia, supervising animal control officer for the county, said he could not comment on whether others were involved in the case because the matter was currently being handled by the District Attorney's Office.

"We've provided the defense with all our reports and everything we have," Garcia said. "I think it's a good case, it's a solid case."

The accused girl's father said his daughter is likely to remain in Juvenile Hall for another month until her September hearing.

The kitten is scheduled for more surgical procedures next week, including further reconstruction of his rectal area.

The surgery, tentatively set for Tuesday, follows a skin graft operation last week to cover his back after burned and dead skin was removed.

Lisa Alexander, a veterinary surgeon with Animal Care Center in Rohnert Park, has donated her time to perform four surgeries on Adam.

Alexander said she was encouraged by Adam's progress and expected the second skin graft to heal as well as the first.

Source: Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Aug 28, 2007
Update posted on Aug 29, 2007 - 1:37AM

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A 3-month-old kitten is fighting for his life after being set afire, allegedly by two teenage girls last month.

The male shorthaired kitten, named Adam, received second- and third-degree burns over 75 percent of its body and was being treated at the Animal Hospital of Cotati, located in Northern California's Sonoma County, officials said.

Two girls have been charged with cruelty to animals in connection with the case. They were arrested last Friday, accused of pouring flammable liquid on the cat, only 8 weeks old at the time, and setting it on fire. The girls are being held in Sonoma County's Juvenile Hall. The maximum penalty carried by the charges against them is three years of confinement.

The kitten has undergone two surgeries and had its tail and the tips of its ears amputated. Tina Wright, the lead nurse at the animal hospital, said Adam was scheduled for another surgery on Tuesday and would likely have three more in addition to that. The operations are essentially skin grafts, she said, and would be performed pro bono by Lisa Alexander, a board-certified surgeon.

The weekly surgeries are necessary because the kitten continues to grow, said Wright.

Adam is 12 weeks old now and doing well, said Wright. The cost of his care and medical attention at the shelter would normally cost between $20,000 and $30,000, she said. Anybody interested in contributing to the costs of caring for Adam can go to the animal hospital in the 500 block of E. Cotati Avenue in Cotati or call 707-792-0200.

An 11-year-old boy and his friend said they saw the smoke and heard the cat shrieking while the girls laughed. The boy brought the animal to a woman he knows named Eve, which is how he ended up with the name Adam.

Wright said the kitten was found on June 19 and brought to the animal hospital two days later.

Source: NBC San Diego - July 18, 2007
Update posted on Jul 19, 2007 - 5:08PM

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Two 15-year-old girls have been arrested in connection with a kitten being burned alive in Santa Rosa's Apple Valley neighborhood, authorities said Monday.

The girls, whose names were withheld, are due in Juvenile Court on Tuesday. The proceedings are closed to the public by state law.

"We will fully prosecute this case of animal cruelty to ensure that those responsible are held accountable," District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua said in a written statement announcing the arrests.

The girls were arrested Friday, Passalacqua said.

The 2-month-old kitten, who has since been given the name Adam, is recovering from his injuries at Animal Hospital of Cotati. Adam underwent more surgery last week, including a skin graft on his hind section and the removal of parts of his burned ears.

Adam was among six feral kittens and an adult cat that were trapped June 19 by a resident and were to be spayed and neutered by Forgotten Felines.

None of the other kittens has been found.

The resident, who was working independently of Forgotten Felines, left the caged animals unattended overnight outside his apartment and two of the cages containing the kittens were taken.

A reward of $8,000 was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

The two girls, who are being held at Juvenile Hall, are being charged with killing, maiming or abusing an animal, Passalacqua said.

Source: Press-Democrat - July 10, 2007
Update posted on Jul 10, 2007 - 10:54AM

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Kitten burned aliveSanta Rosa, CA (US)

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Kitten burned alive
Santa Rosa, CA (US)