They named her Katy P., after Katy Perry and her "Firework" song, but the backstory behind an Ohio cat's new moniker is more horrific than inspiring. People notes the tabby is "lucky to be alive" after someone's cruel decision to place a lit firecracker into the cat's rectum, severely injuring her. "We have no words," read the Facebook page Monday of the Humane Society of Richland County, which took in Katy P. and renamed her after its owner couldn't pay for the cat's treatment. Per the shelter director, who spoke to the Mansfield News Journal, Katy P.—who's thought to be between 2 and 4 years old—came to them in a lot of pain and with lots of exposed skin, and she likely trusted the person who inserted the firecracker. "The more you think about it, the angrier you get," Missy Houghton says. "We just try not to dwell on it. It's disgusting."
Katy P. underwent surgery Monday and now has a "guarded" prognosis. Phillips Animal Hospital veterinarian Andrew Scherrer says it all comes down to how her rectum heals: If her rectal passageway narrows, she won't be able to have bowel movements, and she won't survive. And if she does survive, she could still be incontinent, relegating her to life as a barn cat. But per an update on Facebook Wednesday, feces appeared on Katy P.'s rectal catheter when it was taken out, and her urine was also clear—both positive signs, though her tail has an infection and may need to be amputated. The humane society is offering a $500 reward (in addition to a crowdfunded $1,500) for info leading to the arrest of Katy P.'s torturer. In the meantime, everyone involved is pulling for her. "Cats are much more resilient than dogs," Scherrer tells the News Journal. "I never bet against a cat." (More cats stories.)
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