REWARD OFFEREDThe Cleveland Police Department is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for setting an 8-week-old kitten afire. Contact Lt. Robert Harbison 423-559-3396.
A kitten with burns covering 90 percent of its body was taken to the Bradley-McMinn Pet Emergency Clinic on Sunday night.
"The small cat appeared to have been intentionally set on fire," said an officer with the Bradley County Sheriff's Department who went to the clinic to take the original report.
The kitten was brought to the clinic by a woman who said her daughter found the kitten near their house, according to the report. The woman said she believed some children in the neighborhood had harmed the kitten.
A veterinary clinic in Athens, Tenn., Animal Aid, has been treating the kitten under the supervision of veterinarian Todd Dolen.
Dolen and his office did not return calls for comment on Friday, but the group's Facebook page says that the 8-week-old kitten, which they named Katniss, has first-, second-, and third-degrees burns over its body.
The Facebook page also says the kitten "suffered injuries to her left rear leg at the hip, knee, and hock which will warrant amputation."
The sheriff's report said, "Dolen advised that the estimated cost to treat the cat was around $700 due to the critical condition of the animal and the affected burnt areas."
The report concluded "no further information was available at the time to pursue any legal actions."
People with Animal Aid were not satisfied with this response and said on their Facebook page that people must "demand a further investigation into this case of animal cruelty."
Evie West, public information officer for the Cleveland Police Department, said it was recently determined that the incident took place within the city limits, and a detective with the police department has been assigned to the case and will be investigating.
Cases of animal cruelty are often precursors or symptoms of a larger mental disorder, criminal psychologists say.
Cynthia Hodges published an article at Michigan State University College of Law entitled "The Link: Cruelty to Animals and Violence Toward People."
In her article, Hodges writes about the statistically proven correlation between animal abuse, family violence, and community violence.
"Child protection and social service agencies, mental health professionals, and educators regard animal abuse as a significant form of aggressive and antisocial behavior," Hodges said. "A child's aggressive, abusive behavior toward animals may predict later violence toward people."
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.