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Teen Girls Accused Of Setting Kitten Ablaze - Local News Story - KNSD | San Diego

COTATI, Calif. -- A 3-month-old kitten is on the mend after being set on fire, allegedly by two teenage girls last month.

Warning: Disturbing Images

The male shorthaired kitten, named Adam, received second- and third-degree burns over 75 percent of its body and was being treated at the Animal Hospital of Cotati, located in Northern California's Sonoma County, officials said.

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Two girls have been charged with cruelty to animals in connection with the case. They were arrested last Friday, accused of pouring flammable liquid on the cat, only 8 weeks old at the time, and setting it on fire. The girls are being held in Sonoma County's Juvenile Hall. The maximum penalty carried by the charges against them is three years of confinement.

The kitten has undergone two surgeries and had its tail and the tips of its ears amputated. Tina Wright, the lead nurse at the animal hospital, said Adam was scheduled for another surgery on Tuesday and would likely have three more in addition to that. The operations are essentially skin grafts, she said, and would be performed pro bono by Lisa Alexander, a board-certified surgeon.

The weekly surgeries are necessary because the kitten continues to grow, said Wright.

Adam is 12 weeks old now and doing well, said Wright. The cost of his care and medical attention at the shelter would normally cost between $20,000 and $30,000, she said. Anybody interested in contributing to the costs of caring for Adam can go to the animal hospital in the 500 block of E. Cotati Avenue in Cotati or call 707-792-0200.

An 11-year-old boy and his friend said they saw the smoke and heard the cat shrieking while the girls laughed. The boy brought the animal to a woman he knows named Eve, which is how he ended up with the name Adam.

Wright said the kitten was found on June 19 and brought to the animal hospital two days later.

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