Kitten burned Salt Lake City, UT (US)Incident Date: Monday, May 5, 2008 County: Salt Lake
Disposition: Open Case Images: 1 files available
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Animal rights advocates are offering a $1,250 reward in hopes of finding the person who burned a 6-week-old kitten.
They say that person could face felony charges, since Utah's Animal torture bill went into effect earlier this month.
The kitten was found wandering these streets near 540 S. Navajo St., in the Glendale area. Shay Baldwin heard the kitten's meows on May 5. It was raining, so she brought the kitten inside.
She says, "As I was drying her, that's when I found that she had been burned, and she smelled like smoke. It was horrible." The kitten was emaciated. She also had pinpoint burns all over her body, on her ears, her whiskers, her tail and her paws, possibly from a lighter or long matchstick.
"In between, the webbing was melted together, and her tail might have to be amputated," she says.
Shay posted a plea for help online, and support came pouring in from complete strangers and from the Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah. Anne Davis, executive director of Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah, says, "[It's] devastating. The saddest part is she's so sweet. Animals are so forgiving."
Baldwin says the animal must have been someone's pet, because she's litter-boxed trained and purrs when held. "She's just a sweetheart," Baldwin said.
The alliance is offering a $1,250 reward for information on whoever tortured the animal.
If caught, Davis believes the person will be the first to face felony charges under Utah's new Animal Torture Bill. She says, "To think that the publicity hasn't hit enough people to know that this is a felony ... a felony."
The kitten will go up for adoption in a week or two.
Anyone with information can contact the Animal Advocacy Alliance at [email protected] or call (801) 583-8821. If you have information on this case, please contact: Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah (801) 583-8821
Case UpdatesThe Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah held a fundraiser today to cover medical bills for a kitten that was burned deliberately. The kitten was found in a Glendale neighborhood and could become the first case to test Henry's law, which now makes animal abuse a felony in Utah.
Veternarians expect the kitten to recover.
A reward fund has also been created to help catch the person responsible. | Source: KSL - May 17, 2008 Update posted on May 18, 2008 - 9:03PM |
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