Tortured, Mutilated Cat Rescued In Prince George's County

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD -- A stray cat covered with wounds was recently brought into the Prince George's County Animal Shelter, indicating it had endured "extreme cruelty," advocacy organization Alley Cat Rescue said in a statement.

The cat had wounds to his ears, limbs, and tail that "left him limping and weak," and he was clearly "suffering greatly."

"Looking at his gashed ears and nearly amputated toes it was clear that these injuries were the result of intentional animal cruelty," Alley Cat Rescue wrote. "Our veterinarian assessed him and his prognosis was worse than we could have anticipated. The abuser had tortured the cat over a course of weeks. The cat had slowly suffered with no veterinary care or compassion. The abuser had tied the cats tail and limbs tightly and had cut his ears. His tail became necrotic and required surgical removal."

Staff named the cat Hardy in recognition of his courage and ability to endure the worst situations. Despite his experience, the organization said the cat was very friendly and trusting of humans.

"Hardy’s case illustrates the real life costs of animal cruelty," the statement adds. "Hardy’s case shows a severe form of animal cruelty where an abuser took advantage of an innocent and voiceless creature for their own sadistic purposes. Animal cruelty is often an indicator of a violent personality. Offenders who begin by abusing animals can escalate to abusing and even killing humans."

The organization used the opportunity to promote the Pet and Women Safety Act as a way to protect "both human and non-human victims of violence," providing funding for shelters and adding hurting or threatening a victim's pet to the definition of stalking in the federal criminal code.

Image via Alley Cat Rescue