Reward increased for information on kitten attack

The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for burning alive a feral kitten in Santa Rosa’s Apple Valley neighborhood has increased to $6,000.

Adam, the black, short-hair kitten that was torched last Wednesday inside a cage on the banks of Paulin Creek, showed signs of improvement Tuesday and veterinarians caring for him hope he can make a full recovery.

On Tuesday, medical staff at the Animal Hospital of Cotati removed a significant amount of dead skin from Adam’s back to lessen the possibility of infection.

“It takes a couple days for the injury to kill the skin that’s going to die. You just have to wait it out,” said Dr. Katheryn Hinkle, owner of the animal hospital.

Hinkle said she took Adam to her home Monday night and her 14-year-old daughter “stayed up with him all night.” She said Adam continues to eat and he was even playful at 2 a.m.

“We’re giving him additional pain drugs as he needs them,” Hinkle said. “He got up and walked around this morning after the bandage change. So far so good.”

The $6,000 reward, which is being offered by Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County, is double the amount that was offered Monday and six times the amount that was initially offered over the weekend. The money for the reward comes from regular contributors to the non-profit, said Jennifer Kirchner, the group’s executive director.

“These are supporters of Forgotten Felines who are outraged that this could happen in our community and they want to see the perpetrator caught and punished,” Kirchner said.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County at 576-7999 or Sonoma County Animal Control at 565-7100.