A 2-year-old gray cat abandoned with red duct tape over his face and paws is on the mend after animal control officers found the feline gasping for air in the parking lot of a Baldwin Park animal care center.
Dubbed Amigo, the cat was discovered in a banana box by a worker Thursday morning on the lower level of a parking garage at the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control's Baldwin Park Animal Care Center.
The words "handle with care" were printed on the box beside logos for Amigo bananas.
An animal control officer was "shocked" upon opening the box to find the young feline struggling to breathe, bound and gagged by thick duct tape, animal control center officials said in a news release.
"I can't imagine why someone would do this to this cat," said Animal Control director Marcia Mayeda said in a statement. "Animal cruelty is heart breaking, intolerable, and usually a precursor to human violence."
Amigo, pictured at right, will live with foster volunteers to help rehabilitate him to health and get him ready for adoption. And once Amigo fully recovers, he’ll need a permanent home.
Potential adopters can email AnimalInfo@animalcare.lacounty.gov for more information.
Photo Credit: DACC