Adorable kitten almost dies after being dyed HOT PINK by cruel female owner who also ‘cleaned’ the tiny cat’s fur with Windex and rubbing alcohol
A cruel cat owner painted her cat bright pink and cleaned it with Windex and rubbing alcohol, leaving the cute little kitten in shock and barely responsive.
Elizabeth Zurcher-Wood, 39, took her kitten to an animal hospital near Portland, Oregon, earlier this month and said she cleaned the animal with a mixture of Windex, Spic and Span and rubbing alcohol because it had diarrhea.
Vets found the kitten 'in shock, severely hypothermic and hypoglycaemic' when it was brought in due to the toxic chemicals in household cleaning products.
The good news is that the kitten is now “progressing and receiving good care in a foster home,” said Laura Klink of the Oregon Humane Society. KOIN 6.
Zurcher-Wood is charged with animal abuse. She pleaded not guilty last Friday and remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center, as reported by Oregon Live.
Elizabeth Zurcher-Wood, 39, painted her cat pink and cleaned him with Windex and rubbing alcohol, leaving the tiny, adorable kitty in shock and barely responsive
Zurcher-Wood took her kitten to an animal hospital in Portland, Oregon, earlier this month and said she cleaned the animal with a mixture of Windex, Spic and Span and rubbing alcohol because it had diarrhea
Zurcher-Wood is charged with animal abuse. She pleaded not guilty last Friday and remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. She is pictured in a 2021 mugshot
When the kitten was taken to DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital, it was still soaked in the cleaning solution.
The vets said the cat's body temperature plummeted as a result of the rubbing alcohol. The staff returned the kitten to the suspects, although it is unclear why they did so despite treating the cat.
Zurcher-Wood was arrested Thursday when a motel manager alerted police and tried to evict her from the Deluxe Inn Motel in Portland.
She was found at the motel with the pink kitten and a chihuahua in a stroller. An officer also reported seeing that “the kitten appeared to have burn marks on its head.”
The cat was taken into custody by the Humane Society and Zurcher-Wood is facing a second-degree animal cruelty charge.
Zurcher-Wood “didn't seem to understand that the chemicals were poisonous,” Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Austin G. Buhl told the animal.
During a hearing Friday, her attorney asked for the case to be dismissed due to a shortage of public defenders.
“The alleged victim in this case is a feline, so this is at least a very moderate property crime, not a crime of persons, no real conscious victims,” ββthe lawyer told the court.
The judge ruled: “I did have the opportunity to review the allegations of second-degree animal cruelty and the court found there was sufficient evidence.”
'I'm not going to dismiss this case. I'll give the state six more weeks to try to find someone to help you, okay?'
During a hearing Friday, her attorney asked for the case to be dismissed due to a shortage of public defenders
Zurcher-Wood “didn't seem to understand that the chemicals were poisonous,” Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Austin G. Buhl told the animal.
Zurcher-Wood is now being held at the detention center for a probation violation after being convicted in July 2022 of a misdemeanor battery and attempted second-degree assault.
She tried to kidnap a six-year-old boy in August 2021 and threatened his parents by wielding a machete while making racist comments.
“She said, 'That's my child, give me my child back.' I'll kill you if you don't give me the kid,' and then she swung that machete around,β said Shanay Grant, the boy's mother. KOIN in 2021.
“I don't know if it was racially motivated or if it was mental illness, but she was sure that we had her child and that it wasn't our child, and she wanted to get him back,” she added.
Zurcher-Wood was deemed unfit to assist in her defense and was subsequently sent to Oregon State Hospital for care.
According to court records, she returned to court last May while taking psychotropic medications.
A month later, she entered no pleas to attempted second-degree assault, first-degree bias and menacing, and was sentenced to three years of probation.
Last week, Zurcher-Wood was found in violation of her probation due to the new charges and her failure to report to her probation officer in October.
She is scheduled to appear in court Friday on probation violations in the attempted kidnapping case.
She is expected back in court in the animal abuse case at the end of January next year.