Cat Recovering After Being Set On Fire In Arlington
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Blossom the cat is on the road to recovery, no thanks to whoever set her on fire.
The 5-month-old short-haired tabby won't win any beauty contests—but, she is lucky to be alive.
On September 25th, the Humane Society of North Texas says it received an after hours call on its K-911 Animal Emergency Hotline from a frantic woman who had found a burned cat roaming in an apartment complex.
She found Blossom abandoned near AT&T Stadium. Humane Society of North Texas staffers say there is no doubt that her injuries were intentional, cruel, and cause for a wider concern.
Shortly after the phone call, HSNT staff met the woman and took the cat into their care.
"She had third degree burns to her face," says Whitney Hanson, Humane Society of North Texas spokesperson, "it was horrifying."
"In my opinion, Blossom's wounds were made at the hands of a sadistic human being," said Dr. Cynthia Jones, one of HSNT's veterinarians. "Typically, when burns are the result of an accident, we see charred tissue on several areas of the body. However, Blossom's injuries were isolated to her face and ears, which is more consistent with torture."
Blossom sustained third degree burns to her face and ears, most likely caused by a lighter or blowtorch. After a week of burn care, it became clear that the tissue on the tip of both of her ears was dead. As a result, Dr. Jones surgically removed the necrotic tissue to prevent chronic infections and promote healing of the healthy tissue.
"Despite the heinous cruelty she has suffered, Blossom has a very good prognosis. There is a long road ahead of her, but with attentive medical care she should go on to lead a relatively normal and happy life," said Dr. Jones.
HSNT is determined to find the person responsible for Blossom's burns. HSNT's Humane Investigators are currently looking into Blossom's case, but so far they have not found any leads. Blossom was found in Arlington near AT&T Stadium and Six Flags Over Texas.
"We are urging anyone with any possible knowledge of this incident or the perpetrator to contact HSNT so that we can bring them to justice," said Ann Barnes, HSNT's Executive Director.
HSNT's Humane Investigations Department can be reached by phone at (817) 332-4768 x113 or by email at investigations@hsnt.org.
After Blossom's wounds have healed, she will enter HSNT's adoption program to find a loving home. HSNT is currently accepting donations towards Blossom's care online and by mail at 1840 E. Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76103.
"Anyone that would do this to an animal would do this to a human," says Hanson. "People that start out torturing animals, tend to escalate to killing animals and then they can escalate to killing or abusing humans. Let's stop this cycle of abuse now, and find the individual responsible for this."
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