The people who rescued Lemon Squeeze say she is still a little skittish after her brush with death but she is on the mend and doing well.
SAN ANTONIO — A sweet little cat has a new name and a new chance at life after being dumped in what could have easily been deadly conditions.
The people who rescued Lemon Squeeze say she is still a little skittish after her brush with death but she is on the mend and doing well.
The ordeal started after the close of business at an east side pet clinic last week.
Dr. Elizabeth Noble of China Grove Veterinary Clinic on Highway 87 at Foster Meadows said animal dumping is a constant issue but this case is far worse than most.
“Not only was she dumped, but she was dumped in a prison she had to figure out how to escape, in conditions that are unimaginable,” Noble said.
Reviewing surveillance video of the incident, Noble said a woman is caught on camera after 7 p.m. Thursday night. The slight-framed woman, in sweat pants and a yellow camisole, can clearly be seen walking up to the gated side yard of the clinic with a cardboard box in hand.
After glancing around to see if she can be seen, the woman doesn’t hesitate to toss the box over the fence.
When the box hits the ground and rolls over, the woman can be seen flapping her hands and wincing a bit, but the video shows her walking away without hesitation.
Noble said because it was after hours, the cat no doubt suffered for days.
“According to our cameras she spent the 100 degree weekend trying to escape her jail,” Noble said.
Four days after the incident, they were alerted to trouble by one of their resident dogs.
Noble said Oakley, a rescue dog who lives at the clinic while waiting for a forever home, sounded the alarm and started barking when he found the cat trying to hide in a side yard of the clinic.
While some clinic workers provided immediate aid to the stressed cat, others started reviewing video to see what happened.
What they found was devastating.
Noble said after the box was dropped, the cat spent two long days flailing about, trying to escape, while the box can be seen rolling around the unsheltered yard.
Of the box, Noble said “It wasn’t in clear sight, it was obscured by a pillar.”
“On our cameras we saw it moving around for a couple of days. I mean the cat was probably going through times of struggling and sleeping and then she would probably regain consciousness and come to and try to escape again,” Noble said.
Noble said “I just can’t imagine someone putting an animal in that type of situation. I can’t imagine going through what she did.”
Another camera at the front of the building caught the woman getting into a small, dark-colored, four-door sedan and speeding away.
Noble said, “We’ve had animals dumped many, many times in the past but this one is different,” adding “I just hope she realizes what she did and that she is sorry for it. There’s really no excuse. I just don’t know how to deal with that kind of cruelty.”
Even though the name of the clinic is China Grove, the address is inside the city limits of San Antonio.
After reviewing the circumstances of the incident, Animal Care spokesman Lisa Norwood said cruelty investigators are working to see what can be done.
The address of the clinic is 6162 US Highway 87 and the direct link to report animal cruelty or neglect to the city is found on their website.
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