‘Insidious’ – proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects.
Edmonton, USA: this is an example of what I would describe as insidious cat cruelty. It looks that way. It’s a phrase that I’ve just made up. In this instance somebody placed a tight elastic band around the neck of a young and growing dilute calico cat. Could it have got there accidentally? Impossible, I’d say.
It appears the elastic band was under a collar and a bell but the cat had no form of identification. As the elastic band was tightly in place, over time the skin had started to grow around the elastic band. The cat was understandably in distress.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE CENTER OF THE VIDEO BELOW TO PLAY IT….
I do not know how this cat’s condition was brought to the notice of Edmonton animal control officers but they are involved and are trying to locate the cat’s owner. They believe that the cat is seven months old. As mentioned she is, in fact, a dilute calico and obviously domesticated.
“The band was actually so tight on this kitten that it had embedded in the neck of the cat, meaning that its skin has started growing around the elastic band.”- Brianne Grey, Animal Care and Control officer.
They estimate that the elastic band had been there for about a week. I would have thought it had beeb in place for longer than that. This female cat is doing well and will be available for adoption in about 10 days we are told. It depends on how fast her wound’s hell. She is, however, doing extremely well and is healing quickly.
Comment: This is an insidious kind of low-level, long-term cruelty which I find particularly obnoxious and disagreeable. It appears to be casual cat abuse and is unforgivable. There is no way the elastic band could have got them but by the hand of a human in my view.
SOME POSTS ON CALICO CATS: