In the United States, The Humane Society stated that almost 40,000 people have purchased dogs for the sole purpose of dog fighting rings. These dogs are kept in terrible conditions and are often diseased or in very poor health. But did you know that there are also other animals involved in these fighting rings? Dog fighters typically put cats or kittens into the fighting ring as well, even color-coding them with colored food dye so that they can be identified for betting purposes.
In fact, these poor cats or kittens are added into the ring in a group and the onlookers will then bet on which one will be killed by the dogs first. A cat named Mr. Purple Paws was one of those cats. Like his namesake, his paws were dyed purple to identify him in the fighting ring. Thankfully, Mr. Purple Paws had escaped before he could be placed into the ring.
Megan Sorbara, founder of the Naples Cat Alliance, spoke about this serious issue. She stated “By all accounts he looks good, good weight, nice coat but the purple paws tell the story. Dog fighters use markers to color the white parts of cats and kittens so they can bet on which color will die first. They are “color-coded” and then thrown to packs of dogs, while these sick barbarians place their bets. This is cruelty at its worst.”
Mr. Purple Paws was later rescued by the Naples Cat Alliance and placed into a forever home. Should you see a cat or a kitten with dyed paws, please bring it to your nearest shelter. Alternatively, you can report the case to your local animal control.
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