There are plenty of amazing animal lovers out there who look after their furry friends the right way, but sadly, there are also plenty of heartless people who abuse and mistreat animals and shouldn’t really own them in the first place!
One poor little kitten found himself in the hands of a horrible owner, and when rescue workers discovered what had happened to him, they were both shocked and heartbroken.
This is the story of little Smurf.
One day, this kitten was found on the doorstep of an animal shelter in San Jose.
Workers there were immediately alarmed by the kitten’s coat. He’d been dyed bright purple. Not only that, he was also covered in cuts, bruises, and sores.
Clearly, he’d been very badly treated, but luckily, he was finally in a place where he could start getting better, and the first step was taking him to a vet.
So what had happened to this little guy? Well, veterinarian Monica Rudiger of the Nine Lives Foundation inspected him and came to a shocking conclusion.
Naming the kitten Smurf, Monica believed that it was highly likely he’d had his coat dyed by some cruel owners and had subsequently been used as live bait for illegal dog fights.
Basically, some horrible people had been using this poor, defenseless cat as a chew toy for their dogs.
Sadly, this wasn’t the first time Monica had been faced with an injured kitten in similar circumstances.
She explained that dog fighting is still quite common in certain areas, and this is why it’s so important to never simply give away animals for free on the internet.
You don’t know who you’re dealing with, and even if you’re trying to do a good deed and find nice homes for your kittens, they could end up in the wrong hands, like little Smurf did. Monica says that dog fight organizers often look for free cats online to use in these sick ways.
Smurf could easily have been killed by the dogs, but thankfully, his story started to take a happier turn once he met Monica.
She shaved away some of the purple fur from his body and treated his wounds.
Smurf started to do a lot better under Monica’s care. Not only that, but he even made a new best friend at the shelter: a partially blind cat named Wanda.
Smurf and Wanda were later adopted by the same woman, moving into their new forever home together and even getting their own super popular Facebook account! The incredible photo above shows how little Smurf is doing nowadays. He looks like a totally different cat.
Both Smurf and Wanda had a really rough start to life, but now they’re getting the love and care they so richly deserve.
This story serves as an important lesson to all of us. Sadly, even if you’re an animal lover, you have to acknowledge that there are plenty of people out there who don’t have the same level of respect and empathy for other living creatures, so be very careful if you decide to sell any kittens, puppies, or other animals to strangers on the internet.
Check out the video below to learn more about Smurf’s story.
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Source: Smurf and Wanda, STRAY PAWS
