Burned kitten clings to life

Adam, the black short-hair kitten that was reportedly torched inside a cage in Santa Rosa's Apple Valley neighborhood Wednesday, is struggling for his life at a local animal hospital.

Meanwhile, outrage over the incident continues to build as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people who burned the 2-month-old kitten has tripled to $3,000.

Adam and five other feral kittens that had been trapped by an Apple Valley resident were taken Wednesday from just outside the resident's apartment, where they were being held in two cages.

The kitten, later named Adam by a rescuer, was found burned alive while the other kittens have yet to be located, according to Sonoma County Animal Control officials.

Veterinarians caring for Adam said it was still too early to tell whether he would survive because of the high risk of infection where-ever there is dead skin tissue. The kitten received second- and third-degree burns over 75 percent of his body.

"He's got a long way to go, a lot of skin has got to come off and his tail is probably going to have to be amputated," said Katheryn Hinkle, owner of Animal Hospital of Cotati.

On Monday afternoon, Hinkle and other

hospital staff washed Adam's badly burned body with a saline solution and replaced bandages on his wounds. His body and legs shook from pain, said Hinkle.

"So sorry. So sorry," said Hinkle, as she cleaned Adam's wounds.

The kitten is being given a continuous

intravenous dose of morphine to lessen his pain. After his bandaging was replaced, hospital staff fed Adam a can of cat food using a tongue depressor.

"That's the home run right there," said

Hinkle.

Jennifer Kirchner, executive director of Forgotten Felines, said she hopes the $3,000 reward will encourage people to come forward with information about the crime.

Forgotten Felines, a nonprofit dedicated to the humane care and control of the feral cat population, is paying for the care of the kitten.

Sarah Bowlan, an Apple Valley resident who first treated the kitten immediately after he was burned, said she's collected more than $100 from local residents to help pay for the kitten's medical costs.

Bowlan, who is known as the "Cat Lady," said Monday she was horrified to see how badly Adam had been burned.

"I was in shock. I didn't know whether I should grab him with my hands or a wet towel," said Bowlan. "I picked him up and walked him to the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink. He turned his head and started lapping water from my hand."

"I didn't think he was going to make it until he looked at me in the eye. He wanted to live," said Bowlan, crying.

Two young children at the apartment complex interviewed Monday said they had seen two teenage girls standing on the opposite bank of Paulin Creek, next to a cage. They said they heard a cat crying and a short while later saw something burning.

The children, along with others, said they recovered the kitten and the cage and brought it to the apartment manager.

Sonoma County Animal Control officials said they had not talked to any children but would continue their investigation today.

Hinkle, the Cotati animal hospital owner, said she and other medical staff will treat the kitten as long as there's a chance for his survival, opting not to euthanize the animal.

"Feral kittens are the garbage of the community," she said. "Already, he's got one strike against him. It's not his fault. We want to do our part to make this a better place than that."

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County at 576-7999 or Sonoma County Animal Control, 565-7100.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.