At first glance, you might think this sweet cat got into a fight with a paintbrush.
But Megan Sorbara only had to take one look at a picture of the cat — sent to her by Clewiston Animal Control — to know he had been a victim of a very different kind of fight.
As founder of Naples Cat Alliance, she has rescued a lot of cats from the most dire of circumstances. And she knew Mr. Purple Paws earned his name the hardest way imaginable.
Sorbara suspected he had been color-coded — his white parts painted vividly — for the dog fighting ring. The idea was to throw cats into the ring with frenzied dogs. People would place best on the cats they expected to die first, according to their color.
He was Purple.
Lucky Purple.
Somehow — Sorbara doesn’t know exactly how — Mr. Purple Paws found his way into the arms of animal control officers.
And when Sorbara saw the picture, she made the same vow she’s made countless times before:
“I said I have to have that cat,” she tells iHeartCats.
When Sorbara met Mr. Purple Paws at the rescue’s private shelter on Monday, the cat proved to be even more vibrant on the inside.
“He let us pick him up and he is playing with toys,” Sorbara says. “He is so sweet.”
A bath, she hopes, will wash away the purple — which she suspects was applied with permanent marker. And love will rinse out the memories of a life that nearly ended too soon.
The last part to be rinsed clean? Mr. Purple Paws will lose his name as he gains a foothold on a whole new life.
Update:
Mr. Purple Paws has found his forever family! We are so glad that the nightmare is over for this sweet boy, who now gets the love and care that he deserves.
