THE owners of a two-month-old kitten that was stolen and burnt with chemicals are pleading with the public to help them find the person who harmed their pet.
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Stumpy the kitten was finally back home where she belongs yesterday, after spending a week at the Corryong vet clinic recuperating from the large burn on her back.
Her owners, Clancey Hogg of Cudgewa and Logan Pearce from Corryong, were thrilled to have their girl back, but couldn’t understand how someone could harm her.
“It’s incredibly upsetting to think a human being could do that to any animal,” Ms Hogg said.
“To the person who did this, you should probably seek some help.”
Friends Ms Hogg, 20, and Logan, 16, share responsibility for Stumpy after receiving her as a gift from another friend.
The kitten was let outside from Logan’s Donaldson Street home for a short period of time on Friday, January 3, before she went missing.
Ms Hogg said Stumpy was fairly timid and was mostly an indoor cat and would stay close to the house when she was allowed out.
“She doesn’t like to leave the yard, that’s why we’re sure she was stolen,” she said.
Stumpy was found three kilometres away between 2pm and 3pm the same day in Parish Lane, by a group who took the cat to the vet.
A blue Commodore was seen leaving the scene at the same time.
The wound on the kitten’s back, near the neck, was a perfect square and all the fur was completely gone.
“It’s pretty deep ... the vet said it was very bad burn and because of the shape, it looks like it was deliberate,” Ms Hogg said.
Ms Hogg and Logan were reunited with Stumpy when a nurse from Corryong Veterinary Services recognised the cat after Logan posted a picture of the missing pet on a Facebook page.
Ms Hogg thanked the vet for looking after Stumpy at no charge.
“She’s been very affectionate since we got her back, she doesn’t want to leave my side,” she said.
Corryong police Sen-Const Simon O’Toole said it did not look like the cat had been set alight, but that the burn was more consistent with a chemical burn.
“We definitely believe it was taken (from Donaldson Street),” he said.
Anyone with any information should phone Corryong police on (02) 6076 1666 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.