Fair warning; this is a heartbreaking tale but more so, heart warming when you see the love being given. And it is centered around two very unfortunate animal souls that previously led the worst life imaginable. Yet, after everything, both are full of love and gratefulness. Because now, they have been saved and are in the care of loving rescuers. The Animal Charity of Ohio (ACO) continues to work overtime to provide all the care these deserving animals need. For Kali cat, rescued from a locked freezer and dog Koda, who was shot in the neck, they’d not be here without the organization.
A Commercial Freezer Holds Kali Captive
In the rescue world, it seems that the chaos can be never ending. The depths of human depravity continue to shock us all. And it seems that the Youngstown, Ohio police department have a repeat offender on their hands. HOPEFULLY, there will be an update soon on this case that comes with a mug shot. Because one gas station in the city is well known to ACO sadly. And this incident on April 2nd, 2025 at the location wasn’t for good reasons either.
In the early hours a cat was recovered by a Youngstown Police Department Officer. [After] receiving a tip that a cat was locked inside a commercial freezer behind a gas station in the City. The Officer immediately contacted Animal Charity Humane Agents. We decided to name her Kali. Kali is in safe hands at Animal Charity of Ohio, receiving lots of love and care!
And sadly it was due to something much more shocking than a cat locked in a freezer; a phrase I never thought I’d type.
While en route to Akron, Humane Agents call with an emergency and we had to turn around to head back to Animal Charity. Once we arrived, we were met with a dog we know. A dog that we have had in our care. She was sheltering with us recently while her owner was in hospital. Koda, unfortunately, has a wound to her neck. The wound has not been confirmed yet, but is possible to be a gun shot wound. While we don’t know who has hurt her, we are actively investigating this incident.So far we know Koda may have been laying there in this house for several hours. The police were dispatched to the scene. The owner was sent back to the hospital, and Koda was not given immediate help. We were not notified for SEVERAL HOURS. We were also not told that she was injured. We found this out after the fact. This is an absolute nightmare. We don’t know if she was injured by her owner. We don’t know why we were not dispatched to her quickly. There was major oversight and she was suffering. We are with her now at MedVet Akron. They are running tests. We don’t know any more at this time.
*update: when humane agents arrived, they were notified the door to the home was left unsecured and Callie the sweet cat who we also know, ran out. Our Humane Agents will hopefully be able to find her and catch her to bring her to safety.
One Gas Station Hides Unimaginable Horrors
If you remember a few weeks ago, Koda was shot and then subsequently rescued by Humane Agents. Through investigations we have been able to determine that this cat and Koda had the same owner. We are still in desperate need of raising funds to help cover the cost of saving Koda’s life. Please consider donating to her $15,000 vet bill.
Koda’s advanced imaging showed trauma. Leading everyone to believe she was strangled or beaten. Her spinal cord is swollen. She still has feeling but is not moving anything except her head. They said she has an extremely long road ahead of her.
Koda is settling in with her dedicated medical foster. Unfortunately, our fears were confirmed—her injury was caused by a gunshot wound. Despite the trauma she has endured, Koda is showing small but significant signs of progress. She has started moving her back legs and is working on standing for a few minutes at a time, though she still can’t do it on her own. She sings out when she needs something, finds comfort in squeaky toys, and can now lay sternal with assistance to eat. She has such a long road ahead, but her spirit remains strong.
