The kitten, later nicknamed Smurf because of his dyed
bluish fur, was discovered by a rescuer in a box on Monterey Road and then
taken to the San Jose Animal Shelter, according to San Jose Mercury News.
Rather than euthanizing Smurf, the shelter called a no kill
Shelter called Nine Lives. Nine Live is dedicated to finding homes for injured
cats and Smurf definitely qualified.
Employees at the Nine Lives Foundation say that Smurf was
dyed a purple color by his owner and that he may have been used as a chew toy
for a dog.
“I can only imagine why someone would dye him purple,” said
Monica Rudiger, founder of Nine Lives Foundation.
“I think there are people who find it amusing to take
small, innocent animals and use them as play toys.”
Rudiger said that the cat is lucky to be alive.
Sometimes kittens are used as live bait for dogs that are
training to fight, according to The DoDo.
“I don't know what happened to him, but my best guess is
that he was used as a chew toy. We have a cat with multiple puncture wounds and
abrasions,” Rudiger told The Dodo.
“He can't tell us what happened to him, but I've seen this
before. I've seen kittens be used as bait and chew toys for other animals. It
makes sense to me.”
Rudiger said that her foundation doesn’t offer free kittens
on their website in order to prevent them from being abused.
She's not sure Smurf will ever fully heal.
“We'll never get that purple dye out of him. He's been
shaved and he's still purple. It's so deep; it’s probably undiluted garment
dye,' said Rudiger. 'I hope it ends well for him, but he seems to be doing
really well.”
After Smurf's rescue became public, several people have
expressed interest in adopting the one pound, 10 ounce kitten with big green
eyes. Though, Smurf will not be ready for adoption for a few months more until
he is fully healed.
Abandoned: A two-month-old purple kitten who suffered from
multiple deep wounds was brought to a California animal shelter this week.
Employees at a California shelter say he may have been used as a chew toy.
