A cat named Buddy is fighting for his life after two people appeared to encourage their dogs to attack him. The brutal scene, which took place earlier this week in a Philadelphia neighborhood, was caught on camera.
“Buddy is still hanging in there,” the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is providing Buddy with veterinary care, posted to Facebook on Thursday. “He remains in critical condition, but we are cautiously optimistic.”
Surveillance footage (warning: the video is disturbing, though the most graphic parts of the attack have been blurred out) shows two people walking dogs past a fenced-in porch in Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood. The people let go of the dogs’ leashes, and the dogs enter the porch and attack Buddy, who can be seen sitting inside the fence. The dog walkers can be heard exclaiming, “Good boy!” before a man comes out of the building and intervenes.
“Right now, our biggest concern is stabilizing Buddy,” PSCPA spokesperson Gillian Kocher told HuffPost in an email, adding that vets are also focused on pain management and making sure he’s comfortable. The black cat is suffering from “wounds across his body,” but does not appear to have any internal bleeding or broken bones.
The two dog walkers who apparently sicced the dogs on Buddy could face felony charges of animal fighting and aggravated cruelty to animals, Philly Voice reported.
Despite his injuries, Buddy’s personality is shining through.
“Buddy seems to be a gem for all we can tell so far,” Kocher said. “He loves chin scratches, has been giving head nudges and loves a warm rag on his whiskers. Only time will tell what else his personality holds, but we think he has a bright future if all goes well.”
Prior to the incident, Buddy had been a stray. A local family had him neutered, but then found that he “didn’t want to live inside” and began leaving him food and water on their porch. Kocher said the family “did wonderfully by him.” However, she said, “if Buddy does recover, he will not return to his home, but will be in search of a new one.”
UPDATE: March 26 - Two suspects, one 12-year-old and one 17-year old, have been arrested in connection to the attack, Philly Voice reported. The story language has been updated to reflect that the suspects have been identified and are minors.