If You See a Cat With Purple Paws, Take it and Find Help Immediately

Sharing is caring!

While many cat owners do all kinds of things to pamper their feline, painting their paws purple isn’t one of them.

If you ever see a cat with purple paws, take it and find help IMMEDIATELY.

Keep reading to uncover the ugly truth behind purple paws.

Cruel Intentions

Megan Sorbara, a cat rescuer at Naples Cat Alliance, couldn’t believe her eyes when “Mr. Purple Paws” was brought to the shelter by Clewiston Animal Control.

Here’s the ugly truth: Cats with purple paws are used in dog fighting as “bait.”

Their paws are painted different colors, usually with a permanent marker, so that the spectators can bet on which cat will die first.

“Being in animal rescue, you hear and read about a lot of terrible things being done to poor innocent animals,” Sorbara wrote on Facebook.

“I consider myself pretty hardened to a lot of stuff. I have dealt with a lot of injured, emaciated, neglected and abused animals but this one really got to me,” explained Sorbara.

Sorbara was shocked when the victim of one of these gruesome crimes appeared at the shelter.

Sorbara explained, “Dog fighters use markers to color the white parts of cats and kittens so they can bet on which color will die first. They are ‘color-coded’ and then thrown to packs of dogs, while these sick barbarians place their bets. This is cruelty at its worst.”

This was what was going to happen to Mr. Purple if he had not been spotted in time and rescued.

Safe at Last

Mr. Purple Paws is one lucky cat!

He was able to escape the his abusers before any harm came to him (other than his purple paws).

When he arrived at the shelter, he seemed healthy.

His coat was shiny, he had a healthy weight, and didn’t have any injuries.

Sobrara says, ” I can only hope more were able to get away but my real hope is that the perpetrators of this heinous ‘sport’ be found and prosecuted.”

Despite everything he’s been through, Mr. Purple paws was a real sweetheart.

He was friendly, gentle, and playful!

Mr. Purple Paws Finds a Furrever Home

The same day that animal control found Mr. Purple Paws, he was transferred to the shelter, cleaned up, and put up for adoption.

After a bath, the purple on his paws faded significantly, but the traces of his violent past were still there.

Mr. Purple Paws’s story touched everyone’s hearts.

One week after he arrived at the Naples Cat Alliance, he found his loving, furrever home.

The family that adopted him knew he needed an extra loving home.

They were committed to giving him the life he had always deserved.

Hopefully they renamed him!

The Real Message

Mr. Purple Paws had a happy ending, but other cats and kittens in his position suffer a cruel fate.

When people on the internet read his story, they were outraged by this brutal practice and the treatment of the cats who are bait.

“Anyone involved with any kind of animal fighting needs to be locked up for the rest of their lives,” one user wrote.

“They enjoy the blood-sport of watching animals in pain and suffering and being absolutely terrified and struggling for their lives. How dare they hurt these poor innocent animals! This is sick, barbaric, and brutal.”

Animal rescuers everywhere hope Mr. Purple Paws’s story brings awareness to how cats are abused by dog fighters and how to put a stop to it.

Keep reading to find out what YOU can do to prevent cats and kittens from ending up in the wrong hands.

How to Prevent Cats Being Used as Bait

There are steps you can take to make sure cats and kittens like Mr. Purple Paws never have to suffer from this fate.

• NEVER give away free cats/kittens. ALWAYS charge a rehoming fee of at least $20 for kittens you adopt out.

• ALWAYS report suspicious behavior to law enforcement and your local animal welfare units. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

• Participate in TNR programs (trap neuter return). You can volunteer, spread awareness, fundraise, or donate. The goal is to spay/neuter as many cats as possible to stop the vicious cycle of overpopulation and prevent helpless kittens from ending up in the wrong hands.

• Spay/neuter adoptable cats/kittens before rehoming them. You cannot trust people to do this on their own.

• Ask for vet references from people who are interested in adopting your cats/kittens.

• Spay/neuter your own cats! Cats that are not spayed/neutered are more likely to run away.

• Keep your cats indoors and encourage others to do the same.

• Be a community leader. Organize groups that pressure local governments to pass legislation that cracks down on animal cruelty with heavier punishment.

• Take it to social media. Share this article to educate people on the cruelty that happens in their own communities. Everyone has a moral responsibility to do this.

Sharing is caring!