Allison Kelliher, New York
Former Prosecutor Rescues Abused Cat
I am a former prosecutor in the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. While working there, we were contacted by the NYPD and FDNY regarding an incident where a cat was tied to a radiator and set on fire.
The FDNY was able to save the cat and get him immediate attention. The cat's face and lower body were burned, and he was missing half his ears. The vet also told us he was underweight—clearly, people who set fire to animals do not care about feeding them.
We were able to find the owner of the cat, but after an extensive investigation, we could not prove who actually did this since there were numerous people in the household. And they thought this was all a big joke. "Just a cat," they said.
Unfortunately, the "people" who did this could not be prosecuted. Fortunately, I made a new friend—and the kitty has been with me since 2003. His name is Toastie and he is the love of my life. It took a lot of time and money (which really did not matter) to nurse him through his recovery, which took about nine months. Now he runs the show and I would not have it any other way!