Teen, 12-year-old charged with animal cruelty in Philadelphia dog attack on cat

WPVI/CNN

This image from a video from CNN affiliate WPVI shows an incident in which two males are allegedly seen releasing two dogs to attack and critically injure a pet cat in a Philadelphia neighborhood.

PHILADELPHIA — Two juveniles are facing animal cruelty charges for an incident Tuesday in which they allegedly are seen on video releasing two dogs to attack and critically injure a pet cat named Buddy in a Philadelphia neighborhood, the Pennsylvania  Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said.

A 17-year-old was taken into custody after he arrived with a parent to the PSPCA headquarters in North Philadelphia around noon Friday, the nonprofit animal welfare agency said. The dogs also are in PSPCA custody as part of the investigation.

A 12-year-old boy was later taken into custody.

The juveniles are facing charges of felony animal fighting, felony aggravated animal cruelty and a conspiracy charge, the PSPCA said.

“The outpouring has been nothing short of amazing. We have seen donations from Scotland, India, Australia, and so many places across the country. The love is immense for this sweet boy. … He is so loved,” spokesperson Gillian Kocher said in an email.

Home security video shows two young individuals walking with two dogs when they notice Buddy on a porch as they walk past. The two individuals return to the porch and release the dogs on the cat. A man then emerges from the house to rescue Buddy.

The cat sustained life-threatening injuries and was taken first to the PSPCA headquarters, and then to an emergency veterinary care facility.

Buddy remained in critical condition, but PSPCA officials said they are cautiously optimistic that he will survive.

“While this act of cruelty was especially shocking in its intentional nature, the outpouring of support for Buddy the cat and the effort to bring the offenders to justice has been overwhelming,” Julie Klim,the PSPCA’s CEO, said in a statement.