Animal Cruelty
In my volunteer work at the shelter, I occasionally see instances of animals confiscated by Animal Control or the police because of cruelty. Most of the time it's either not feeding them, hoarding situations, or sometimes physical injury, like one beautiful pit bull I remember who'd had chemicals poured one him (he was still the sweetest dog you can imagine). We recently got a cat who was surrendered (grudgingly) by an owner accompanied by Animal Control...in a carrier that was covered with bugs.
But nothing compares with the cat we just got. You may be familiar with Basement Cat? This poor feline was kept in a basement. The only human contact he had was when someone fed him. His eyes are sunken and semi-closed. He growls and hisses if anyone comes near. He rocks himself, perhaps as a self-soothing mechanism. The keeper of the stray hotel has found that if she dims the lights on that side he is calmer. She has hopes that she may be able to reach him, but it seems unlikely. (Her method, to begin, is to keep a washcloth inside her shirt for several hours and then put it in the kennel so the cat gets used to her scent.) We fear that this poor guy may be destined for euthanasia, but we're going to try kindness first. He may never have experienced that. Pray to Bastet for him.
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