Stray cats are turning up with horrific and life-threatening injuries in the same Queens neighborhood, and rescuers said the felines may have been tortured.
One of the tiny cats is a stray usually seen on 102nd Avenue in Richmond Hill. At the end of February, local rescuers noticed the animal's leg shaking and paw bleeding while on the sidewalk one night.
A closer look revealed all four paws had devastating injuries — some of them so severe the bones were completely exposed.
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"We’re like — maybe she got stuck in something, maybe it was like a crushing injury. We just had her transported to the hospital, where she still is," said Meagan Licari, of Puppy Kitty NYC.
But then things got even more disturbing and mysterious. Two more cats were discovered with identical injuries — a huge red flag that showed the injuries were no accident. Images of the injuries were so graphic, News 4 has chosen to blur them.
"Oh my God, what did they go through? How did this happen? Their pain, because you could see it in their face...and they’re shaking. It was horrible," Licari said. "It’s just too much of a coincidence that they would all have the same injury."
Licari said she reached out to police and she’s been in touch with a detective. So far, no leads, but the veterinarian treating the cats believes they suffered chemical burns.
"I’m worried about abuse. I don’t know if it’s against the cats directly or if someone’s throwing chemicals to deter all animals," said Licari.
All three cats were taken to Long Island Veterinary Specialists Hospital, their paws bandaged up. But Licari said the second cat they found, Ruby, couldn’t be saved. The feline's body was sent to a lab for further testing.
"My vet said the only way she would be OK is if we amputated all four limbs — which is not really a quality of life for a four-legged animal," she said.
Licari's group is fighting to save the others, but the bills are piling up. The hospital bill for one of the rescued cat's is already at $7,000.
"I agreed to take these cats and save their lives, and I’m gonna do everything that I can. They deserve that chance after what they went through," said Licari.
She fears they may never find out who did this or why.
