The little kitten thrust into national headlines after allegations of its owner giving his pet heroin can't be adopted for some time even once the pet fully recovers.
Chris Shaughness with the Chester County SPCA said that the abused kitten, aptly named "Hope," is recovering from its injuries in a foster home.
James Paul Myers, 24, was charged with cruelty to animals, drug possession and other related offenses after authorities say he shot Hope up with heroin, choked the kitten with a rope and slammed it to the ground.
Shaughness said that the SPCA has received many calls from people hoping to adopt Hope. But, since Myers' case is going through the court system (his next scheduled court date is a preliminary hearing on Sept. 15) and Hope is considered "evidence" in the trial, the kitten must remain in foster care and can't be adopted into a permanent home, according to Shaughness.
Shaughness did have some advice, however, for people interested in helping the tiny black kitten.
"If anyone wants to adopt a black kitten in honor of Hope please do so," she said.
Shaughness added that the SPCA has plenty of kittens in need of homes.
Myers remains behind bars unable to post bail.
A police officer patrolling Dunwoody Drive in West Whiteland Township spotted Myers parked in the middle of the street with his car door open around 4:40 a.m. on Aug. 3, according to investigators. A small black kitten was underneath the door, investigators said. Its neck was bound tightly with rope, its face was bleeding and several of its teeth had been knocked out, according to police.
Police say the phrase “SLAM IT YOU [expletive]" was spray painted on the roadway near the vehicle, and the kitten appeared to have been dragged and slammed to the ground.
Police executed a search warrant of Myers’ vehicle, where investigators say they found bundles of heroin, hundreds of used bags of heroin, 46 hypodermic needles, a rope that matched the one used on the kitten and a small box containing cat feces.
The 8-week-old kitten, which was lethargic, unresponsive and suffering from head trauma, was taken to the HOPE Veterinary Clinic in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Jennifer Magilton examined the kitten and determined it to have been given heroin. Dr. Magilton gave the kitten Narcan, a heroin antidote commonly given to humans.
