Kitten making ‘remarkable’ recovery after being found taped inside sandwich box

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The kitten found duct-taped inside a sandwich container Monday in Cottonwood Heights remains in stable condition, although veterinarians say the cat faces a long road to recovery.

The kitten was turned over to Angel Paws Veterinary Services, which named her Athena. Police found the 6-week-old kitten in the backseat of a car, trapped inside a disposable, plastic sandwich container.

Only her head was exposed at one the box’s narrow ends, while the rest of her body was duct-taped inside, covered in feces. When she entered the Murray clinic, she weighed not much more than a single pound.

“She has made a remarkable recovery in about a 24-hour period,” said Jessica Love, medical director at Angel Paws Animal Services. “She’s doing much better.”

A veterinary technician spent the night with Athena, who is being treated for head trauma, singed fur on her face, bruising on her temple, and an eye injury. She was initially listed in critical condition.

Athena also tested positive for methamphetamine.

“Once we got word that there were drugs in the car, we did a urinary test on her for various drugs, and she came up positive for methamphetamine,” Love said. “We determined that although she was exposed, she wasn’t showing any sign of intoxication.”

Veterinarians initially gave Athena fluid support, pain medication, and placed her in an oxygen cage to help treat her head trauma.

“We couldn’t do a whole lot else because of her size and her youth,” Love said. “We were relying on her to pull through, supporting her as best as we could.”

The clinic said Athena might suffer long-term effects from the drug exposure and the head trauma. She also could lose sight in her right eye.

The focus now is treating Athena’s physical injuries. Veterinarians said that while the kitten appeared lethargic initially, she has since begun acting like a normal kitten, showing no aversion toward humans.

“This makes us really hopeful that she’s going to make a full recovery, and make a healthy, happy pet one day,” Love said.

The two people found in the car with Athena were arrested on drug possession and animal abuse charges. In Utah, torturing a companion animal, such as a cat or a dog, is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.