A sweet cat who rescuers dubbed 'Honey' is recovering after being mercilessly flung from a moving vehicle into a waterway where she was sure to drown. Luckily, a man walking his dog watched the whole tragic ordeal and was able to dive in after Honey, saving her from a watery grave.
But whoever tried to kill Honey is still at large, and who knows what other animals or even people they are subjecting to similar violence.
There has already been extensive news coverage of Honey's rescue, meaning her photo has been widely shared and there is a good chance someone will recognize her. But we need all hands on deck. Sign the petition imploring the South Yorkshire Police to aid in the search for the vehicle from which Honey was thrown -- a black Honda -- and whoever tried to murder her.
It must have been like something out of a nightmare for the man watching Honey fly through the air and splash into the water. Whoever threw her knew how hard she would land after falling 15 feet into the shallow water. They also would've known that though the water was shallow, Honey stood no chance of saving herself -- she was extremely weak and underweight from clear neglect, and the water was freezing cold, most likely sending her into a state of immobile shock.
After the dogwalker saved the kitty, he handed her off to a nearby woman because he didn't want to cause Honey any more trauma and he was nervous that his dog would scare her. Even though Honey's fur was extremely matted, the woman noticed her emaciated body and the open wounds all over it. Only when Honey was taken to a vet and the mats carefully shaved away did the gravity of her situation become clear. The poor cat was crawling with fleas and she had cuts all over her body.
Even after what must have been a painful and unhappy life, the two-year-old cat is doing wonderfully. After they nicknamed the sweet cat Honey, the rescue fitted her with a nice red jumper to keep her warm and comfortable while her new, unmatted fur grows in.
But just because Honey's story has a happy ending does not mean this saga is over. Whoever threw her from that moving car, having clearly abused her already and knowing she would die from the impact or by drowning, is still out there. And research tells us that animal abuse is often a pattern, not a one-off. Worse still are the concrete links we know exist between animal abuse and abuse of other people.
This person must be found. Whether they owned Honey and always abused her, or stole her from a loving family, or picked her up as a stray, they must be stopped before they do this again.
Animal shelters and charities cannot do this on their own. While they nurse Honey back to health, please ask that the South Yorkshire Police join in the search for this would-be cat murderer based on descriptions of the car and public information about Honey! Sign the petition today!
Photo from RSPCA
