CLEVELAND - A Northeast Ohio animal rescue group said it is saddened and sickened by an extreme case of animal abuse currently being investigated by the Cleveland Animal Protection League.
A severely injured cat made its way to a neighbor’s porch early Friday morning on Cleveland’s west side. The neighbor comforted the cat and called the Forever Friends Foundation.
The orange and white cat was brought to the Able Animal Hospital in Parma. Staff said it was obvious somebody had cut and sliced the cat's ears.
The person started cutting the right ear, slicing cartilage and putting the cat in extreme pain. His left ear was barely hanging on.
“The injuries are straight cuts to both ears. It appears like somebody used scissors or shears,” said Debbie Bartowick with the Forever Friends Foundation.
Bartowick said she hasn’t seen abuse like this case, but she has received a couple other clearly abused cats also from around the same area in the last year.
The foundation said the 4-year-old male is very friendly and appears to be someone’s pet that got loose and possibly fell into the wrong hands.
“He’s very social. You can pet him. He trusted somebody, and how horrible it must have been for somebody to do that and the pain he felt,” Bartowick said.
Both Bartowick and Dr. Harmander Sandhu said it’s obvious the injuries were not caused by another animal.
“It’s very unfortunate for a poor animal, which can’t speak and can’t say anything, and went through all of that pain,” Sandhu said.
The cat needed surgery Friday afternoon to stop the pain and spread of infection. He had to have both ears amputated, but is recovering after surgery.
Forever Friends, which is paying for the treatment entirely with donations, said the cat will eventually be put up for adoption.
