Cat burned and beaten
Lawrence, MA (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Feb 15, 2003
County: Essex

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Name Undisclosed

A female cat was burned and beaten with an unstrung archery bow Saturday Feb 15, 2003 by a teenage boy.  Her whiskers are singed and her body is thin as a result of malnutrition and dehydration. She may lose a tip of one of her ears.

Animal Control Officer David Parsons and others were so eager to find the  cat that they launched a massive weekend search through the neighborhood  where the cat fled after being hurt. Police Chief John J. Romero said  Parsons set a trap with food for the cat during the weekend, and spent time  looking for the animal. The trap failed but searchers did see the cat and  caught it in the hallway of an apartment building in the neighborhood.

Police and firefighters say a fire alarm that sounded Saturday at a Walnut  Street apartment house when a 13-year-old boy set the cat's fur on fire may  have saved her life.

Police said the boy, who admitted to torturing the cat as retribution for  being scratched, will receive a court summons to face a charge of cruelty to  an animal -- a misdemeanor.

The cat, named Phoenix by her rescuers, is expected to make a full recovery from her injuries.

References

• The Eagle Tribune

« MA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Essex County, MA

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