Dog fighting is illegal in the U.S. and it’s even illegal to be a spectator at these barbaric displays in all states except Montana and Hawaii. But despite the law, around 16,000 dogs are killed every year in this cruel practice.
It angers me that animals are treated this way; held in torturous conditions before having to fight to the death is very disturbing.
But did you know that the illegal “sport” involves other animals too? To add to the incredible cruelty of this display cats are sometimes thrown into the dog fighting rings for an additional financial incentive.
Now, one humane society is trying to raise awareness about this upsetting issue by highlighting something most of us didn’t know about these cats; everyone should read this.
Cats (and very docile dogs) are used as bait in these rituals and also added to the ring along with other cats so onlookers can bet on which one gets killed first. Painting their paws makes them easily identifiable. (Sorry, cat-lovers but this is important to know!)
Experts at the Humane Society said mostly very docile dogs and cats are used as bait animals because they won’t put up a fight. “Sometimes, they’ll cut their face up to draw blood on their face,” said Sasha Abelson, an independent dog rescuer, of how handlers treat the bait animals.
Naples Cat Alliance, in Florida, posted on their Facebook page a picture of a beautiful, sweet cat with purple painted paws and revealed why her paws were painted.
“By all accounts he looks good, good weight, nice coat but the purple paws tell the story. Dog fighters use markers to color the white parts of cats and kittens so they can bet on which color will die first. They are “color-coded” and then thrown to packs of dogs, while these sick barbarians place their bets. This is cruelty at its worst. It seems as Mr. Purple Paws was able to escape before he entered the ring,” the post said.
Thankfully, this beauty was saved from a horrific and painful end and was taken to the vets before being found a loving forever home, but others aren’t so lucky.
If you see a cat with painted paws, pick it up and take it to your nearest animal shelter immediately.
This post was shared more than 250 times so please continue to raise awareness and share this story so more people know what to do if they see an animal with painted paws.
