'Sticky,' cat found covered in duct tape in Philadelphia, finds new adoptive home

There's a happy ending for the cat found covered in duct tape and left in a yard in a residential section of Philadelphia,. The cat, nicknamed "Sticky" by her interim caregivers at the Philadelphia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has been adopted and is now safely at home with her new family.

Sticky was discovered Sept. 22 by the North Philadelphia woman in whose yard she'd been dumped, and reports of the extreme incident of cruelty spread quickly among fuming animal lovers. PSPCA staff reported that it took an hour to cut all the duct tape from the cat's body. (Sticky had to be sedated in order to complete the process.) PSPCA spokesman George Bengal told Philadelphia's ABC6 Action News that he'd never before encountered a case of animal cruelty like Sticky's, adding that "whoever did this took a lot of time. It was very methodical... [It is] a very sick individual that would do something like this to a cat."

In the days that followed, a number of people called the PSPCA claiming ownership of Sticky, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.  None of the claims appears to have been legitimate, however, since each caller was given the opportunity to come to the shelter to offer proof that they were the cat's legal owner.  None of them showed. With no owner forthcoming, the PSPCA offered Sticky for adoption -- and received more than 100 requests to adopt her. The group considered the requests on a first-come-first-served basis (Sticky's eventual adopters, who chose to remain anonymous, put in a request shortly after word of the cat's abuse broke), and the cat went home with her new family Tuesday. 

Over the weekend, a 19-year-old Philadelphia man, James Davis, was arrested on suspicion of committing the crime.  According to Bengal, Davis has admitted to covering the cat in duct tape after finding her in his backyard on Sept. 21. If convicted of animal cruelty charges, he could face up to two years in prison and a minimum fine of $1,000, the Associated Press reports. 

Davis "did not have any previous convictions or complaints related to animal cruelty," Liz Williamson of the PSPCA told the Inquirer.

Beyond Sticky's new home and the arrest of her alleged abuser, there's more good news. The PSPCA says that the number of cats adopted from its shelter during the period Sticky was there nearly quadrupled the total number of cat adoptions from the same period last year, an increase staffers attribute to all the publicity. Plus, the organization received more than $2,000 in donations from members of the public who cited Sticky as their reason for donating.

RELATED:
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-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo (top): Sticky as she was found on Sept. 22 at a home in North Philadelphia.  Credit: Associated Press

Photo (bottom): James Davis in an undated police photo. Credit: Associated Press

Comments

[Keith Derek]

We're euthanizing the wrong species.

[Evan]

I would never condone such an act, and it is cruel to the animal, but it seems odd to me that people are considering this an exceptional case of cruelty, and they note that the perpetrator could be imprisoned for 2 years. It's Duct Tape! Yes, it took an hour to remove, and the cat had to be sedated, but the cat is relatively unharmed. This is in no way comparable to other incidences of animal cruelty that happen on a daily basis in which the animal is physically assaulted or malnourished. I would feel very sorry indeed if someone were to spend more time in jail than Michael Vick spent for running a dogfighting ring.

[Cristi Antohi]

+ they should cover him in duct-tape for the hole year or imprisonment , just for the fun of it, if he actually liek doing really moronistic stuff...jesus...

[Natalie Story]

i am an animal love big animals small animals you name the animal i love them. This is just plain WRONG i say WRONG and MEAN.

[Holli DeLorme]

Hi. my name is Holli DeLorme and i live in Menominee Michigan. Here, we dont see much animal cruelty, thank god!why would anyone do such a thing to a poor innocent cat. People are so cruel thses days and dont think that animals have feelings. im very happy to hear that you guys helped her and she is now with a trustworthy family! hopefully i can help animals someday too.

[Amber]

This man should get well over 2 years and a 100 dollars. How can any one be saine enouhgh to walk our streets when he is hurting a poor animal thats sick and he should be getting over 5 yrs and more money in fines

[Cyriah Burbo]

i think that this is just cruel. why would you want to do that to a cat? i think nobody should ever abuse any animal because if they do that then why own a pet? if you don't want your animal give it to your local humane society and they will find a home for that animal. a home where they actually love their pet.

[Cyriah Burbo]

i have a question, why do people like to abuse their animals? would you like it if somebody put duct tape on you, and you were not bale to move? i don't think you would. animals are just as important as we are. some animals are great for therapy, and if an animal is abused it may not be able to do that job. animals can help us, so we should help them in return. so just rememeber that the next time you or somebody you know is going to abuse an animal, how would you like it?

[M]

This is a horrible story, I'm literally sick over it!!! I want to know if this kitty has found a hoome because if not I will give him a great home!!

[Brian]

I wonder if people read the stories upon which they comment. "M" posted that he hopes the cat found a home. The story is about how the cat found a home! As far as Evan's suggestion that "It's [only] Duct Tape," the cat was wrapped like a mummy and tossed in a yard. Without food, water or the ability to move, the cat would have slowly died -- painfully of dehydration or getting his eyes pecked out by birds. So, yeah, this was a pretty big deal. At least in dog fighting, the dogs has a chance at survival (as cruel as it is) -- this cat would have died a very slow agonizing death. As far as the punishment -- two years is fair, but it won't change this guy.. you can take the thug out of the ghetto but you can't take the ghetto out of the thug. We need stiff consequences, and a return to parents taking responsibility for raising good citizens.