NEW JERSEY -- Grade school children brutally beat a stray cat with stones, bricks and sticks which caused it to die a week later, police said.
Youngsters all under the age of 10 allegedly attacked the innocent feline near the School 4 playground in Paterson, New Jersey, on May 7.
Suffering a broken leg and skull, and with one of its eyes destroyed, the savage assault on the kitty only ended when two older children stepped in and chased the gang away.
One of the elder boys, aged 14, cared for the animal at home for two days until a teacher learned of the incident.
Renee Olah, founder of Hackensack-based Chance at Life Cat Rescue, then took the cat - who had been nicknamed Quattro - to an animal hospital for life-saving surgery.
But, after eight days of struggling with its injuries, it died on Thursday, May 15.
"He was doing great and all the sudden he took a turn for the worst," Olah told NJ.com.
Cops are now investigating the horrific assault, and the accused children - who have not been named - will be suspended for five days and receive counseling.
"It is disturbing to see what this animal went through," said Passaic County SPCA agent Luis Vasquez.
Olah, who spent $1,000 in veterinary bills on trying to save Quattro, said she hoped the cat achieved the justice he deserved.
"I can only hope they'll (the attackers) get the help they need so they won't do this kind of violent act to an animal, or other people for that matter," Olah said.
"I know they're young, but if they're proven to be guilty I hope they get psychiatric help they very much need," she added.
(New York Daily News - May 20, 2014)
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