Cat Cruelly Bound with Duct Tape Saved by County Animal Care Officials

A two-year-old, gray cat was safe and recovering April 18 hours after it was found abandoned in a box and struggling to breathe through red duct tape that someone wrapped around its nose and mouth.

The cat has been named Amigo by the staff at the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control’s Baldwin Park Animal Care Center, which serves Walnut and Industry.

Animal care officials themselves found Amigo in a box that had been abandoned in a lower level parking lot of the county animal facility. Center spokeswomen Evelina Villa called it one of the strangest "and perhaps one of the cruelest incidents," through a written statement.

The animal control officer who discovered Amigo was shocked, officials wrote. The cat not only had tape over his face but on its paws as well rendering it helpless. 

The veterinary medical team was able to remove all of the duct tape, officials said.

“I can’t imagine why someone would do this to this cat,” said DACC Director, Marcia Mayeda. “Animal cruelty is heart breaking, intolerable, and usually a precursor to human violence.”
 
DACC will look to its caring foster volunteers to help rehabilitate Amigo to a healthy, adoptable state. Once Amigo fully recovers, he will be available for adoption and all local residents will have a chance to inquire about it.

Potential adopters may email:  AnimalInfo@animalcare.lacounty.gov if they are interested in adopting.

Authorities remind the public if they like to help prevent animal cruelty, they can do so by contributing to the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation (ACF) at lacountyanimals.org.  The ACF is committed to protecting and enhancing the lives of animals in LA County.