When a tiny purple kitten was dropped off at a shelter in San Jose, California, employees instantly knew one thing was mistaken.
It was not simply the unusual, deep shade of purple overlaying his fur. It was the look in his eyes.
The sort that implies a kitten had already seen an excessive amount of of the world.
Nobody is aware of for positive how the primary few weeks of this kitten’s life unfolded.
However what his physique revealed left the shelter workers shocked.
The kitten, believed to be beneath two months previous, had been dyed purple from head to toe.
On nearer inspection, he was additionally coated in puncture wounds and cuts. His fur was matted round therapeutic scabs. And he was visibly afraid of being touched.
It was clear this was no accident. Somebody had intentionally damage him.
As a substitute of being put down, the kitten was rushed to the 9 Lives Basis, a rescue group that focuses on caring for injured and abused cats.
There, veterinarian Dr. Monica Rudiger gave him a reputation to match his uncommon look: Smurf.
However what Rudiger suspected made issues even worse.
“I don’t know precisely what occurred to him,” she defined, “however I’ve seen this earlier than. Kittens like this are sometimes used as bait in unlawful dog preventing rings.”
Smurf sustained accidents like deep punctures, scratches, and a severe shoulder wound, all of which pointed towards one chilling chance: that he had been used as a dwelling chew toy.
Based on Dr. Rudiger, one of these cruelty is way extra frequent than most individuals realise.
In areas the place dog preventing nonetheless happens, kittens and different small animals are generally used as coaching bait.
It’s brutal, it’s inhumane, and it nearly at all times goes unnoticed.
In our space, cats are used as bait for pit bulls day-after-day,” she mentioned.
“That’s why making a gift of free kittens on-line is harmful. Folks take them for all of the mistaken causes. Smurf is simply one of many fortunate few we managed to save lots of.”
As Smurf was cleaned up and shaved to deal with his wounds, the complete extent of his accidents got here to mild.
His shoulder was badly broken, and his total physique confirmed indicators of trauma.
Nevertheless it was additionally clear that beneath all of that ache was a kitten nonetheless prepared to belief people.
“He’s doing higher than we anticipated,” mentioned Rudiger. “He’s affectionate. He purrs. Regardless of every little thing, he nonetheless desires love.”
Smurf’s purple fur, which is believed to have been dyed with garment dye, will in all probability by no means absolutely fade.
Even after being shaved, the colour has soaked so deeply into his pores and skin and coat that it might be everlasting. However perhaps that makes him extra memorable.
A dwelling reminder of what animals like him undergo and the way a lot they’ll nonetheless forgive.
Since his story started to unfold, individuals from throughout have reached out eager to undertake him. However it is going to be some time earlier than he’s prepared for that.
Smurf nonetheless wants time to heal, each bodily and emotionally.
Within the meantime, Dr. Rudiger hopes that individuals will focus not simply on Smurf’s story, however on the numerous different cats like him who’re nonetheless ready in shelters for somebody to care.
Some won’t be purple. Some won’t have seen scars.
However each single one in all them has a narrative that deserves a second probability.
The 9 Lives Basis continues to look after cats like Smurf day-after-day, counting on donations and help from the general public.
And whereas Smurf’s story has caught the eye of many, his rescuers know he is only one instance of an even bigger drawback.
“Smurf will get better,” Rudiger mentioned. “However I take into consideration all of the others we by no means even see.”
For now, Smurf is secure. He has a heat mattress, type palms round him, and a reputation that nobody will neglect.
He would possibly nonetheless be purple, however his future is wanting a lot brighter than his previous.
