Danella Paterson was devastated when she first noticed something was terribly wrong with her kitten, Rocky, on Saturday. The normally sweet and affectionate cat returned home “growling in intense pain,” and Paterson immediately recognized the severity of the situation.
“His whole body was like, paralyzed,” Paterson recalled. “I touched him, and he growled more, the pain was intense.” She added that his backside appeared “completely, almost flattened.”
Rocky was “howling, growling, and groaning in agony” as Paterson rushed him to the vet, where X-rays revealed injuries consistent with being kicked. “The vet said, ‘His tail’s been completely ripped off,'” Paterson said. “He had liver damage, bladder damage, bruising. His whole stomach was dark purple. So, he’s either been kicked or possibly both kicked and had his tail ripped off so badly that it caused internal bleeding.”
Paterson was told that Rocky would need his tail amputated, and euthanasia was suggested due to the high costs of treatment.
In response, Paterson shared the distressing news on a local Facebook community page, along with a photograph of a threatening note that had been left on her property’s fence back on September 16. The note, written in red ink, warned of harm to her cats, which Paterson had quickly painted over to shield her four children from seeing it.
What followed left Paterson “amazed” by the overwhelming support from the community. Through a Givealittle page, local residents raised enough funds to cover all of Rocky’s veterinary expenses. “Just the trauma and pain the animal has to go through is the worst,” Paterson said. “That’s what has traumatised me, the fact that my cat has suffered so much. Money is money, but pain and cruelty is another thing.”
Grateful for the outpouring of support, Paterson expressed her appreciation for the kindness of strangers. “There’s bad guys out there, but there’s more good people than bad.”
Despite the positive response from the community, Paterson still feels unsafe living in the same neighborhood as the person responsible for Rocky’s injuries. “Because I’ve got little kids too, you know? I feel unsafe now because if you can hurt an animal, you might hurt a kid.”
A police spokesperson confirmed that an investigation has been launched after the incident, which was reported on the same day Rocky was found injured in Beach Haven. “We have received no other reports of similar incidents in the area,” the spokesperson said.
An SPCA spokesperson also confirmed they had received a complaint about the attack. “As an investigation is underway, no further comment can be made at this time,” they added.
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