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12-year-old and 17-year-old charged with animal cruelty in dog attack on a pet cat in East Frankford

Tens of thousands of dollars in donations have poured in to help Buddy the cat, who remains in critical condition, the PSPCA said.

Buddy the cat remains in critical condition after two dogs were intentionally unleashed to attack him on an East Frankford porch Tuesday morning.
Buddy the cat remains in critical condition after two dogs were intentionally unleashed to attack him on an East Frankford porch Tuesday morning.Read morePennsylvania SPCA
    by Robert Moran
    Updated 
    Published 

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 in the city’s East Frankford section, the Pennsylvania SPCA said Friday.

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 is expected to be taken into custody on Saturday, a PSPCA spokesperson said Friday night.

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

The nonprofit has received tens of thousands of dollars in donations to help the cat, named Buddy, since it publicized information about the attack earlier this week.

“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. The notes are pouring in ‘love to buddy from North Carolina.’ He is so loved,” spokesperson Gillian Kocher said in an email.

Home-security video shows two young individuals walking with two dogs on the 1600 block of Granite Street 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 remains 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.