Tiny Kitten Named Zoe Has Her Ears Cut Off by Fiends But Texas Police Do Not Seem to Care

"I want to put these people in jail."
-- Lexy Webb, age 7

When country veterinarian turned writer James Herriot wrote that "all things were possible with cats because some people seem to regard them as fair game for any cruelty" he certainly knew what he was talking about.

Back in mid-September someone or some persons took either a pair of scissors or a knife and cut off the ears of tiny kitten named Zoe (See photos above and below) in Kingsville, Texas. Home to about thirty-thousand residents, Kingsville is located fifty-five kilometers from Corpus Christi.

Although Zoe is otherwise making a good recovery, her ears are, sadly, gone forever. Because a cat's ears are comprised of cartilage, hers will not grow back; skin will, however, reform over the scabs.

So far the perpetrators of this heinous crime have not been apprehended and, more shockingly, they probably never will be because animal cruelty cases are not a priority in Kingsville. "Police have their priorities and I'd like to think that in the future the police and sheriff's department will both become more interested in animal cruelty cases," Suzan Smith of Animal Rescue Kleberg (ARK) told KRIS-TV of Corpus Christi on October 2nd. (See "Kitten Recovering After Ears Were Cut Off.")

Luckily, Zoe was found by a good Samaritan who promptly delivered her to ARK. "A family brought her in to our headquarters and turned her in," Smith recalled. "It was apparently a flesh wound. Both ears were fresh and still bleeding. So we took her out to animal medical clinic."

Zoe is currently being cared for by Melissa Webb and her seven-year-old daughter, Lexy. "We keep it (sic) moistened with the antibiotic cream so it doesn't dry out too much. That's about it," Melissa told KRIS-TV. "She's like a regular kitten, very rambunctious, and loves to chew on everything."

It was her young daughter, however, who spoke up for cat-lovers all over the world when she declared, "I want to put these people in jail."

It is not known if the Webbs plan on adopting Zoe or to what extent her hearing has been impaired. Although the surgery would be expensive, it might be possible to graft new ears onto her little head or to fit her with a prosthesis.

In 2004, researchers at the Bridgestone Tire Company working in conjunction with the University of Tokyo developed a rubber tail fin for a dolphin named Fuji at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium and now officials at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida hope to do the same thing for a bottlenose dolphin named Winter. (See photo below).

Advances are being made every day in developing prosthetic appendages for different types of animals so it is conceivable that Zoe might some day get a new pair of ears. Money will be a big obstacle, however. For instance, Fuji's tail fin cost $100,000.

In the meantime the law enforcement community's lackadaisical response to Zoe's mutilation is inexcusable. It is therefore incumbent upon cat advocates to exert pressure upon the police to bring the perpetrators of this despicable crime to justice.

Photos: KRIS-TV (Zoe) and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (Winter).