A cat named Buddy is fighting for his life after two people appeared to encourage their dogs to attack him. The brutal scene, which took place earlier this week in a Philadelphia neighborhood, was caught on camera.
“Buddy is still hanging in there,” the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is providing Buddy with veterinary care, posted to Facebook on Thursday. “He remains in critical condition, but we are cautiously optimistic.”
Surveillance footage (warning: the video is disturbing, though the most graphic parts of the attack have been blurred out) shows two men walking dogs past a fenced-in porch in Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood. The men let go of the dogs’ leashes, and the dogs enter the porch and attack Buddy, who can be seen sitting inside the fence. The dog walkers can be heard exclaiming, “Good boy!” before a man comes out of the building and intervenes.
“Right now, our biggest concern is stabilizing Buddy,” PSCPA spokesperson Gillian Kocher told HuffPost in an email, adding that vets are also focused on pain management and making sure he’s comfortable. The black cat is suffering from “wounds across his body,” but does not appear to have any internal bleeding or broken bones.
The two men who apparently sicced their dogs on Buddy have not been identified. If caught, they could face felony charges of animal fighting and aggravated cruelty to animals, Philly Voice reported.
Despite his injuries, Buddy’s personality is shining through.
