INDIANA – A 19-year-old male has turned himself in after admitting he poured gasoline all over a cat before setting the feline on fire, Fox59 reported.
Police did arrest Noah Riley, who is 19, Thursday night on charges of animal cruelty. The extremely burned cat was found bound by a rope Wednesday in a cornfield close to the Crawfordsville Municipal Airport off West 500 South. Riley explained to investigators that he saw several social media posts about the cat and wanted to “get the issue resolved.” A second juvenile was also interviewed in connection with the case, police said.
Retired firefighter Steve Wright stated that he was home watching TV Wednesday night when he noticed a flame shoot up from the field. Wright discovered the female cat drenched in gasoline; someone had laid a firecracker on top of her. The firecracker, thankfully, didn’t go off.
Animal care workers now believe the cat survived because she happened to be lying in a puddle that helped douse the fire. The cat was sent over to Purdue Animal Hospital for treatment and faces an extensive recovery.
“Her ears are shriveled. Her fur is gone down to the skin,” stated Misha Anderson, who is director of the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County. “She landed in a mud puddle. So I think that slowed down the fire or at least dampened her fur which caused the only flames to be gasoline so all the fur is mostly singed.”
The cat’s medical bills are currently running more than $1,000.
To help out, interested people may donate money to the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County or donate on their website at www.mcawl.com.
The cat is expected to recover fully.
What a cre*p!
