Kitten severely burned with scalding water
Monterey, CA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Sep 13, 2005
County: Monterey
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
The Monterey County SPCA is searching for a woman who brought a severely scalded kitten to Monterey Salinas Emergency Services early Sept 13.
"All we know at this point is that it was a female who gave bogus information about where she lived and a false phone number," said Cindy Burnham, education and volunteer coordinator for the Monterey County Animal Services Center. "We would like some information about this woman. We have the SPCA's humane investigation team working to find her."
The woman brought the kitten to the Monterey Salinas Veterinary Emergency Clinic at Ryan Ranch sometime between 9 and 10 a.m., Burnham said. She told emergency services personnel that the kitten's feet and stomach were burned when she was giving it a bath. She said she left the 4-week-old black-and-gray tabby, which Animal Services Center personnel have tentatively named "Boo-boo," alone for a few minutes to get something from another room. When she returned, the kitten was howling in pain.
She then brought it to the clinic for treatment but left the kitten there when she realized the gravity of the situation.
"We don't know if she was scared away when she found out what it would cost to treat the animal or if she began to understand the severity of the animal's injuries," Burnham said.
County Animal Services Center personnel were called to retrieve the abandoned animal.
The kitten suffered third-degree burns on all the pads of his four paws and part of his stomach, Burnham said. She said the burns are more prominent on the kitten's back paws, an indication that it may have been leaning back on its hind legs trying to get out of some place.
Because of the extensive injuries, the kitten must be cared for around the clock. It is barely past bottle feeding, said Burnham.
The dressings on its feet must be kept dry to guard against infection, and because it is so young, it must be fed every four hours.
The kitten is also missing several claws, further evidence Burnham said it was trying somehow to claw its way out from wherever it was. Burnham said the kitten's burns were consistent with scalding.
"Right now he's getting medication... antibiotics and painkillers to fight off any infection," Burnham said.
The kitten will need a great deal of rehabilitation, and for the time being, a veterinarian from Animal Services is taking care of it.
Anyone with information about the woman is asked to contact the SPCA at 373-2631 ext. 214, 422-4721 ext. 214, or the Animal Services Center at 769-8850 ext. 3. If you have information on this case, please contact:
SPCA
373-2631 ext. 214
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