GRAPHIC: Cat burned, animal cruelty suspected

Richmond Animal Control officers are investigating a possible case of animal cruelty after a cat was found severely burned.

A vet technician at Animal Care Alliance in Richmond said a man brought the cat in late Wednesday and told them he’d found it injured in a trailer park north of Richmond.

The man wanted the cat to receive medical attention, and thought it had been hit by a car.

An examination revealed the cat had suffered severe burns and was emitting a strong odor of burned hair. The tech said the burns were deep and down to the muscle on the cat’s chest. One leg was burned to the bone. The vet tech’s immediately contacted Richmond Animal Control officers, suspecting the cat might have been thrown in to a burning fire.

An I-V and pain medications were administered to the cat, but it did not help the pain, said the technician. Two separate veterinarians determined the humane decision was to euthanize the cat.

Richmond Animal Control officers have launched an animal cruelty investigation and were checking leads Thursday.