CNN: Paars geverfde kitten gebruikt als honden kauwspeeltje

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/02/living/purple-cat-rescued-california-feat/    Video


Late in December, someone found a 7-week-old kitten in a box (along with dirty rags and lemon slices) on a road in San Jose, Calif. It was bad enough that the poor kitten had been left there to die. Even worse, he had been dyed purple and had suffered 20 deep puncture wounds.
“I’ve seen a lot of animals used as bait for other animals; it looks to me like he was used as a chew toy,” Monica Rudiger, a veterinarian and founder of the no-kill Nine Lives Foundation shelter in Redwood City, which treated the kitten, told the Mercury News. “He obviously wasn’t killed by the dog or whatever animal it was, but he was pretty badly injured.”

Why was he dyed purple? “I think there are people who find it amusing to take small, innocent animals and use them as play toys,” Rudiger said, adding that in her 16 years of rescue work, this is the first time she’s encountered a animal that’s been stained with fabric dye.

The good news is the kitten who’s been named Smurf is expected to recover from his injuries. He had surgery for the largest wound, on his right front leg, and is being treated with antibiotics.
In the meantime, Smurf has made a new best friend at Nine Lives: a blind kitten named Wanda who was also abused and rescued after she was found abandoned next to a trash can, scared and shivering.
In fact, Smurf spends so much time snuggling with Wanda and giving her “massages” that some of his purple dye has rubbed off on her. Later this week, the two will be placed in a foster home together.

Smurf’s plight has made national news headlines. While it has helped put a much-needed spotlight on animal abuse, Rudiger is concerned it might also encourage copycats, so to speak.
“We want to make sure people don’t want him just because he’s purple,” she told CNN. “We don’t want to encourage other people to do the same thing.”
As you can imagine, adoption offers are pouring in, some from as far away as Brazil and England. There is one requirement: If you adopt Smurf, you must also adopt his BFF Wanda so the two lucky cats can live happily ever after together.
Hopefully all those potential adopters are aware that many other abused cats are available at Nine Lives and shelters all across the country.
“I hope the message is long-lasting that animal cruelty is real, and this is just one guy who’s experienced it,” Rudiger told CNN. “There are plenty of other kittens who need to be saved.”