If you’ve ever burned yourself accidentally, you know how incredibly painful it is. It’s hard to imagine anyone intentionally burning another living being, but that’s exactly what happened to little Hero, not once, but over and over again.
Hero was rescued by Bella Bast Rescue, Inc. from a large condominium unit in Deer Park, NY. He was spotted by a caring neighbor, who assisted in capturing little Hero. The efforts at catching him were hindered by the very person they believe to be Hero’s abuser, who continually scared him away every time he came close to the live trap that had been set to capture him. Thankfully, he was successfully captured and then was rushed to VMC West Islip Emergency Hospital, where it was discovered that Hero had been drugged with Valium. He remained there until stable enough to be moved to Bella Bast Rescue.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. His poor little body revealed that he had been repeatedly burned with cigarettes, with the final injury being caused by having lighter fluid poured over him and being lit on fire. Try to imagine the kind of agony this poor cat had endured prior to his capture by these caring people. The pictures included here are very graphic, but depict just how horrible his burns are.
Recently an article was written by this writer about the efforts to establish an online animal abuse registry, with Suffolk County Animal Abuse Registry being part of that groundbreaking effort. Bella Bast Rescue staff are determined to have Hero’s abuser’s name added to this registry, once found.
While there is a person suspected of inflicting this horror on little Hero, nothing has been proven as of yet. But that’s not deterring Debra Pluchino, the founder and President of Bella Bast Rescue from making certain that Hero gets the justice he so deserves. She has reached out to the animal advocacy community, asking for any help in finding Hero’s abuser and bringing him/her to justice.
It’s impossible to comprehend the mind of a monster who would subject an innocent cat to repeated cigarette burns and finally set him on fire. Where does this kind of mentality come from? It’s sick, demented and this abuser needs to be found.
Please join Ms. Pluchino in her efforts to track down and punish Hero’s abuser, and have their names added to the animal abuse registry, so that moving forward people will know exactly what kind of person lives near their homes. This is a large condominium complex with 250 units, many of whom have animals. Those animals are at risk as long as this abuser walks free.
Hero is being treated for his wounds, and for the rest of his life he will know only love; the love he should have had from the beginning, but was denied because of a sick human being.
Debra has asked for animal advocates everywhere to contact the people who can most help in getting this investigation moving forward, so that it doesn’t just get pushed aside as so many animal abuse cases tend to have happen. (Even in this case, the Suffolk County ASPCA tried to close the case, stating that they believed Hero had been burned underneath a car. The medical proof clearly shows this was not the case, but rather was repeated burning over a long period of time.)
Please send letters at the links highlighted below, being polite, but firm in demanding that Hero’s abuser be found and brought to justice. This innocent little boy can’t speak for himself. He has suffered for who knows how long at the hands of this abuser, and had no way to ask anyone for help. So please, be his voice.
If you would like to send in donations for Hero’s care, you can send them to the following address:
Bella Bast
P. O. Box1893
West Babylon, NY 11704
(Note from Bonnie: Contact information deleted 06/19/2011 as this is no longer necessary, since the officials are cooperating fully. Please see the 06/19/2011 article for further details.)
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