Kitten placed in microwave gets new Maine home

WESTBROOK, Maine - A kitten that was put in a microwave in Maine when it was 8 weeks old has been given a new home, an animal shelter announced Friday.

Mary Byram of Scarborough will take home Miracle after winning a lottery put on by the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, in Westbrook, WCHS-TV reported.

The kitten was sent to the shelter in September after police found a roughly 10-second video on Twitter of it being put in the microwave. The video showed one girl place the cat in the microwave, close the door and appear to turn it on. Police weren't sure how long the oven was on.

Two 15-year-old girls from South Portland were charged with animal cruelty, but their names haven't been released because they are juveniles.

When Miracle arrived at the shelter, she struggled to keep up her body temperature, failed to properly absorb nutrients and had severe fleas, said Lynne McGhee, who does community relations for the shelter.

McGhee said those issues could be the result of number of things, like Miracle being taken away from her mother too soon, and couldn't attribute any of them specifically to her being put in the microwave.

Hundreds of people from around the world contacted the shelter hoping to take the kitten home.

McGhee said Byram, who is retired, is a great pick for Miracle's owner because she can spend a lot of time with the kitten.

"It's just a great win-win situation," she said.

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