Kitten Encased in Concrete: $5,000 Reward

This is a horrifying story, so if you choose to keep reading, prepare yourself. (The kitten pictured is not the kitten abused in this story)

This story highlights the senseless cruelty that sick, weak people inflict on helpless animals. This sort of thing happens somewhere everyday and always elicits a gut-level revulsion on the part of anyone whose mind isn’t a cobweb of confusion or whose moral compass isn’t spinning like a top.

This is the story of Thomas, a four-month old kitten who was buried up to his chest in newly poured concrete and left to suffer and die by someone who deserves to be removed from society. When he was discovered the following day, he had to be chiseled out by the young man, Andrew, who had poured the cement the day before and left for the day. Thomas had to have been placed into the cement while it was still wet. That means Thomas was likely struggling to free himself for 18 hours as the cement hardened around his frail body.

All of this took place in Colorado City, Arizona, a small community about a 45-minute drive from Best Friends, a local animal rescue clinic and advocacy organization.  Best Friends has provided free spay/neuter and emergency vet care to residents of Colorado City for years, so a local resident called Best Friends and they sent someone to meet up with Andrew and rush Thomas to their clinic.

The BF medical staff, joined by members of their maintenance department, worked side by side to remove as much of the hardened concrete from Thomas’ fur, face, legs and eyes as possible without doing more harm to him. The vets, who over the years have attended to many animals who have been victims of car accidents, cruelty cases, chemical burns and worse, have never been so distressed as they were by this case and the trauma inflicted on innocence.

Thomas was stabilized and treated to relieve his pain, but sadly - though mercifully - had to be euthanized a few days later.

Through 28 years of operation, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary has seen thousands of animals in their final hours and minutes. But there was something particularly unnerving about seeing this helpless, adorable kitten in such a state, and then realizing that they could not undo what someone else had done. There was small comfort in knowing that they were able to provide him with some kindness and compassion in his final days.

So now what? The person or people who did this to a sweet, young cat are still out there and need to be brought to justice.

Thomas is no longer with us, but his spirit is very much entwined with ours. Best Friends is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person(s) responsible for this act. We all hope that a cash reward will prompt someone to come forward in Colorado City to identify the perpetrator.  If you are reading this and know something about Thomas and the events that brought about his death, please contact the Mohave (Arizona) County Sheriff’s Office at 800-526-1911.   If you have friends in the Arizona/Utah/California area who need to know this story, pass it along.

Anyone capable of such a sadistic act is not only a danger to other animals, but also to children and to the entire community. Protect your family, protect your pets, preserve your humanity. Don’t turn a blind eye to cruelty.

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