New Mexico: Sam the kitten loses leg after being thrown out of a truck into a wall

NEW MEXICO -- Sam the kitten has garnered a lot of attention from New Mexicans in the past week, after someone threw the 8-week-old cat out of a truck into a wall.

On Friday, a vet had to amputate one of the kitten's legs.

Sam's vet said she consulted with an expert before the surgery.

"Speaking with him, he agreed with us that the best long-term care and outcome for Sam would be amputation, based on the location of the fracture," said Samantha McKinney, owner of Bosque Farms Animal Clinic.

A good Samaritan saw a red GMC truck speeding down Camelot Boulevard in Los Lunas Wednesday morning. A passenger tossed Sam out of the window of the moving truck, slamming his little 1/2-pound body into a brick wall.

Los Lunas police are investigating and say this is a felony.

"The kitten is obviously very seriously injured. We are going to prosecute to the highest degree of the law in regard to the animal cruelty," said Nikki Baca with the Los Lunas Police Department.

 

Now there is even a reward to find who did this to Sam -- $500 donated by the Alliance Against Animal Abuse.

"This is another reason we wanted to offer an reward -- maybe there is somebody out there that doesn't realize that this is illegal.

 

"You can't do it and you can be arrested and put in jail for it," says Barbara Tellier with the Alliance Against Animal Abuse.

Police said this case is extreme animal cruelty, which is a fourth-degree felony. If the person who did this is found, a conviction could mean up to 18 months in jail.

(KOAT Albuquerque - Aug 1, 2014)