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Warning: This article contains a graphic image of a horrific injury to the kitten.
A BRAVE LITTLE kitten who had his tail amputated after its owners skinned it and left it for dead on the roadside in Mayo has been rehomed following a miraculous recovery.
The distraught animal was discovered close to the foot of Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday in July as hundreds of pilgrims gathered to climb the holy mountain in spite of heavy rain.
The five-week-old kitten’s tail had been completely skinned from the base, leaving just raw flesh exposed, which had become necrotic and infected.
The excruciating injury was so localised and precise, it is believed that it can only have been inflicted deliberately with the use of a blade.
The tiny cat was drenched and freezing when it was found on the roadside by Caroline Hopkins, who brought it to her sister, Jacqueline – a veterinary nurse and dog groomer from Castlebar.
“I had never seen a de-gloving injury like that before, where the skin is removed right from the base of the tail. It was horrendous and had already become necrotic, leaving him with just days to live,” she explained.
The kitten, who was named Patrick, was brought to a vet and underwent surgery the following day to amputate his tail. The operation revealed that the infection had already spread to the bone.
Patrick, left completely tailless, defied the odds and began his recovery in the care of the veterinary nurse. Last week, having completely healed and regained his strength, he moved to his new home in Galway.
“He may have lost his tail, but he still has a big heart,” Jacqueline says.
“The recovery was tough on him and there were complications along the way, but he’s a little trooper who kept purring and playing despite all he’s been through.”
“Loads of people contacted me with offers to rehome him after his story appeared in the media during the summer, but he wasn’t ready to go until now. We found a cat-loving home near Tuam and brought him there last week.”
Patrick, now four months’ old, is reported to be settling well in his new abode and has made friends with his new owners’ family of cats.
“He was subjected to such unimaginable cruelty but remained so happy and friendly. You can’t help but smile to look at him. I’m glad his tale has had a happy ending,” the vet concluded.
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I’d glady skin those disgusting excuses for human beings. filth.
People like this need to be found and they need to be charged. They’re not just a danger to animals, they’re dangerous, full stop. This kind of behaviour can be a precursor to even worse acts. There’s a terrifying lack of humanity and sadistic cruelty to acts like this, and they seem to be on the rise.
I hope this kitten and other animals who suffer this way find warm, loving homes and that the government starts to take animal cruelty more seriously.
so basically selfsustain your saying your into skinning ppl? what an unusual response to cruelty to say your into cruelty…
shut your mouth….!!!
I’ve never understood ppl saying they would impact the second cruelty on a person suffered by an animal… does that not make you the same… why not hope they are prosecuted and punished?? I’m.just asking ppl to explain their logic… Although I know most throw out those comments in an attempt to look tough and get green thumbs..
whoever did this, you’re a rotten sick ba$yard. thank goodness this poor kitten has received the required help.
Sincerest wish is they die horrid drawn out death alone for days. Evil dirt die.
Who the fu*k does this? I mean seriously… this is warped, messed up, psycho $hit. Some serious spacers out there
Just why anyone would do that is beyond me.I’ve a cat who’s tail was cut off by some little shyte.Poor thing is terrified on people as a result.I just can’t see why someone would even go to the bother of doing that to an animal.There’s just no point to it.
I just hope jamsey coming up to bonfire time cats are left well alone.. There’s a tendency for psychos to do warped stuff with the animals!
I’m living in the country at the moment so he’s safe.The only time it comes near people is when I give him his dinner.He usually just fecks off about his business then.I just don’t see a point in abusing animals though.Even if you don’t like them then just avoid them.
Exactly I’m more of dog lover myself but I’d never dream of harming a head of hair on them, what posses such an individual to torture poor defenseless animals is beyond me!
Funny thing is..I’m a dog person too.I just seem to have ended up with a cat.One who hates humans to boot.
my mum adopted a cat who had no tail. she’s absolutely scared of everyone as well. I can’t stand people that do this to animals
What kind of evil b@st@rds do things like that? Sitting here with my 2 month old foster kitten on my lap it is just unthinkable how anyone can injure a tiny little animal like that? What is wrong with people?
Evil barbarian sc@m poor kitten!
nearly vomited after seeing the barbaric vicious actions of a so called human intelligent being. .. poor defenceless kitten. ..oh my god shame on the sadistic bugger /s that did this !
Well said.. thank God someone found the little fella and thank god again he’s been with kind people. wouldn’t ya bring him home in a heartbeat wee pet xx
Pychos who do this are a serious threat to society. They need to be removed.
Inhuman. At least Patrick pulled through and has a happy ending.
I once saw a cat with an injury like that (I’m a vet). A door had closed on its tail as he went through it and pulled the skin off from the base in one piece. The owner brought the tail in a bag in the hopes of reattaching it. I also have seen a similar full tail degloving in a cat (mine) that was attacked by a dog. Again the skin from the tail was fully intact.So it can happen. I hope it was something like that rather than human inflicted. Hope he makes a full recovery and gets a lovely home.
sick fu#ks who ever did it
Was the story of the 5 pups thrown from a moving vehicle in to following traffic on the m50 featured on here? Tossed out like rubbish into speeding traffic,at a couple of weeks old! People are sick, it took a twisted mind to perform these acts,and it is getting worse. It’s scary what walks among us.
Douglas would have been a more appropriate name for him.
If a person could do this to a helpless creature, they could do it to a person. Sc#m of the earth
fair play to the girl that found this poor animal. .and for having the kindness to take the kitten to a vet. . what sort of brain dead excuse of a thing could inflect this Un nessasary cruelty to a defenceless animal. I do hope there cough and named publically
I have no idea how a human being could do this. What has gone wrong in their lives or their head that they consider doing this…its frightening to think these people exist in society.
it looks more like damage by a fox or dog or even caught in an engine part ?
Yeah a fox or an engine part could expertly skin a cats tale exposing bare flesh? Cmon get real pauric
Hard to believe a human could do such a thing
unfortunately it’s not :(
Meow_ Humans do far worse…they kill other humans.
This article appeared in the Daily Mail earlier on in the year and it caused uproar, it took the spotlight off international news. I saw it as a promotion of the numbers 17 and 7..
Who is to say that those who did it stole the pet from someone to do this on it… I do not understand the pathetic cruelty of some people as i only shows how pathetic they are. They are that emotionally immature they are pathetic as the only way to feel good about themselves is to be cruel to defenseless animals. How pathetic a human being do you have to be for this to make you feel good about yourself. Normal people do not do this…
You need to invest in a thesaurus.
No, as pathetic is what they are, I really hate gobs…tes who do those things to defenseless animals for so called fun…
What is wrong with people, anyone who can harm an animal can harm a person and that is how all the real psycho murderers started as they started on defenseless animals before starting on people.
What brave people to start on defenseless animals as that just makes them look pathetic, that pathetic really that it shows them up to be laughable in a pathetic way. They are that weak that they have to pick on defenseless animals, my god now that is pathetic, does their mummy still wipe their botty for them still…
It’s just a flipping cat… move on….
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