New Jersey: Authorities search for clues in abandonment of kitten soaked in oil in Fort Lee

NEW JERSEY -- Authorities said on Friday that they are trying to determine who abandoned a 6-month-old female kitten in Fort Lee this week, dousing her in motor oil and shutting her in a box that was tied shut.

The kitten, now having been named Olive Oil by authorities, was found at 10:30 p.m. Monday in bushes outside of a high-rise building on Palisade Avenue, said Detective Capt. Patrick Kissane of the Fort Lee police. He said authorities are examining a surveillance video from the area as part of their investigation.

Olive Oil was taken to the Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus where she was cleaned and X-rayed before being transferred to the county animal shelter, according to the Bergen County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is in charge of the investigation.

The county SPCA created a GoFundMe page to raise money for the kitten. On the site, the SPCA said its agents are “continuing our investigation and hope to find the person responsible for abandoning Olive in such a cruel manner,” adding that the agency “will prosecute to the fullest extent possible.”

Anyone with information about the case or other incidents of animal cruelty may call the county SPCA at 201-573-8900 or email the agency at www.bergenspca.org.

(NorthJersey.com - may 20, 2016)