Someone partially skinned a pet cat. The cat wandered up to a home in Ladson missing a square patch of fur on her back. The wound was infected and full of maggots.
The cat, called Angel, is recovering. She is wearing a morphine patch for the pain.
Veterinarian Tracy Jagocki says the cat might face several surgeries for synthetic skin grafts.
SPCA Director Bob Jones says the injury is definitely not accidental. The cuts are too precise, at 90-degree angles.
He considers the perpetrator a danger to society. He says whoever did this is a developing criminal.
Animal abuse in Dorchester County is punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $525 fine. Case UpdatesAngel the cat has a new home, just in time for Christmas. A Summerville couple adopted the little tortoise shell cat on December 16, 2005, who in October 2005, was found partially skinned in Ladson.They had cried when they heard of the feline's plight. Dorchester County officials said it was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty they'd seen. With precise cuts, someone skinned Angel's hindquarter. The case remains unsolved and under investigation.
Twelve surgeries later, the cat's new family says her recovery is miraculous. With the exception of a small patch of scar tissue, her fur is growing in over the synthetic skin veterinarians painstakingly attached a little at a time until the entire wound was covered. Lowcountry residents pitched in more than $6,000 for her medical bills. "It makes me feel great that people came to the aid of this cat that was in need," said Bob Jones, director of the Frances R. Willis Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Angel now has a large, extended family that includes four other cats, two dogs and two rabbits. She spent her first nights at her new home in a separate room with her new family, but when another cat started meowing to her through the door, it was time to make the introductions. "He went right up to her. She sniffed him, she rubbed against him, and they were just instant friends. They were playing nonstop with toys and chasing each other." Now Angel is just one of the gang, running through the house with the others.
More than 20 people volunteered to adopt the lovable cat who, if the purrs are any indication, loves to be near people, too. "I think she is an angel," her new family mom said. "To survive through what she's survived is a miracle." | Source: Post and Courier - December 19, 2005
Update posted on Dec 19, 2005 - 6:09PM |
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