MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. -- Authorities are anxiously searching for the person who set a cat on fire Monday, possibly killing the animal.
Sgt. Brian Walker of McDowell County Animal Control said a patron reported to a clerk at Double R convenience store on Sugar Hill Road shortly before 10 a.m. that the feline was lying next to the highway. The clerk notified officers around 10 a.m. and said she didn't notice the animal when she came to work Monday morning.
"The cat was severely burned and had two broken legs," Walker stated. "It's a light orange Tabby. The best we can tell, it's a male. Its undercarriage where the reproductive organs are is so badly burned it's hard to tell."
The sergeant said he believes the incident occurred between 7 and 9:30 a.m. Monday at a nearby location and the cat's body dumped on the side of Sugar Hill Road. Walker added that the remains were still warm when he and Cpl. Frank Holder arrived on the scene at 10 a.m.
The officers took the deceased feline to the vet to determine if the animal was alive or dead when it was set ablaze. Walker stated that the condition of the internal organs shows it's a possibility the cat was still conscious.
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