PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - A cat has died after swallowing a toxic substance in North Lauderdale.
The feline passed away at Plantation Midtown Animal Hospital at around 9:30 p.m., Wednesday.
Her name was Sprout, and she was kept comfortable on her last day under a blanket hooked up to an IV.
“She has muscle tremors, she’s very lethargic, she’s not able to sit up or eat,” said veterinarian Marissa Sloan.
The photo that was taken of her before she was brought to the hospital is difficult to see.
Sprout was found at a construction area behind a North Lauderdale home splayed out on her belly after suffering a possible attack.
“I tried to pick her up and she didn’t move and she fell to the ground, so I told my daughter, ‘Go get my phone!'” said Tamara, who found the sick cat.
Good Karma Pet Rescue volunteer Michele Martinez saw the picture online and rushed Sprout to an emergency vet clinic.
“I don’t know if she’s having seizures right now, the twitching she has going on,” Martinez said in the video.
She later told 7News, “She was panting, shaking really bad. Poison is the first thing that comes to mind. There wasn’t anything else around to show anything else that would’ve caused it.”
She clearly ingested something toxic, and the emergency hospital report said the chemical found in antifreeze could be a possibility, which led rescuers to wonder if it was intentional.
“I pray to God not. Like, seriously pray to God not, because cats don’t do anything to people,” Tamara said.
“There are so many options to get cats help and homes, like why they hurt them to make them suffer just doesn’t make any sense to us,” Sloan said.
Volunteers also found Sprout’s three 3-week-old kittens, which will be put up for adoption.
The kittens appear to be healthy, but rescuers are hoping to figure out exactly what happened to Sprout.
If you’re interested in donating to Sprout’s care, click here.
If you know of any case of animal cruelty in Sprout’s case or others, call police.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.