Burned cat gets playmate

Four days after yet another surgery, Adam the cat, who survived being set on fire, is well enough to have his first playmate.

"Adam is really enjoying playing with Louie, who has a long tail and ears that really are too big for the size of his head. It's his first playmate and they're having fun," said Tina Wright, Adam's nurse at Animal Hospital of Cotati.

Adam, who is now 18 weeks old, was brought to the Cotati facility in late June after he was found on the banks of Paulin Creek in Santa Rosa with third-degree burns over 45 percent of his body.

He was left inside a humane trap by a person intending to bring him and other feral kittens to nonprofit Forgotten Felines, which spays and neuters cats from feral colonies. But the cat was taken and torched.

Two teenage girls have been charged in the case with felony animal cruelty, which carries a maximum penalty of three years' incarceration. The girls have entered a plea of not guilty and are expected to appear in court in early September, according to the father of one of the girls.

The injured cat has received multiple skin grafts and medical treatment made possible by donations from animal lovers. He now weighs 4-pounds, 5-ounces.

Dr. Lisa Alexander of Animal Care Center in Rohnert Park donated her time to perform the latest surgery to repair his rectal area. Adam was also neutered at the same time.

"All of his skin grafts have taken. We think this was his final surgery as long as everything continues to go well," said Wright.

So for now, Adam is on the mend, with a medical care trust fund that will probably last him his remaining eight lives.

You can reach Staff Writer Rayne Wolfe at 521-5240 or rayne.wolfe@pressdemocrat.com.