The MSPCA reports its trying to find the owner of a severely injured cat that a worker at the Stop&Shop on American Legion Highway in Roslindale found lying in the store parking lot as she left work shortly before 11 p.m. on Feb. 11.
The worker rushed the cat to Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaican Plain, where a veterinarian determined the wounds, all over his body, “are consistent with burns,” the MSPCA says.
The ten-month-old cat, which Angell has named Dusty, is now recovering at Angell, where Dr. Rebecca Fellman and other clinicians are continuing to clean the wounds and change bandages regularly, in the hopes that the wounds will heal enough to be closed permanently with sutures. Recovery could take months and Dusty might still need to have one of his hind legs amputated, the MSPCA says, adding the cat is also getting antibiotics and painkillers.
Fellman said it’s possible Dusty’s burns were the result of an accident:
We don’t know how Dusty was injured. When it’s cold out, cats on the street often climb in wheel wells or under car hoods to stay warm, so it’s possible that Dusty was hurt when an engine was started by a driver who didn’t even know he was there.
Dusty was not microchipped, so Angell has no way of contacting his owners. Anyone with information on Dusty’s owner is asked to call the shelter at 617-522-5055.
If the owners aren’t found, and Dusty recovers, the MSPCA will eventually offer him for adoption.
The MSPCA estimates Dusty’s care could cost $5,000, and says it’s set up a fund for anybody who’d want to donate.