10-day-old kitten rescued from Pasco trash can

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By LAURA KINSLER | The Tampa Tribune 
Published: February 15, 2013
Updated: February 16, 2013 - 7:34 AM

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LAND O' LAKES --

A 10-day-old kitten is recovering at Pasco County Animal Services after being rescued earlier this week from a garbage can by a sheriff's deputy.

Pasco Sheriff's Cpl. John C. Spicuglia was investigating a complaint Monday that a Port Richey woman was shooting at stray cats when he heard a muffled meow coming from the trash can. When he opened the lid, he found the kitten, which had been in the hot trash can for more than two hours.

"The kitten was showing signs of heat stress, including very rapid breathing," he said.

Spicuglia placed the kitten in his patrol car, in front of the air conditioning vent, to lower its temperature. He arrested 26-year-old Jessica Struble on a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty.

They named him Ollie and he is in good hands now.

Judy Tate-Gregory, education coordinator for Animal Services, is fostering the kitten, nicknamed "Ollie." She and her daughter take turns bottle-feeding him. He sleeps in a basket in her office during the day.

"He's a real sweetie," Gregory said. "He's a little orange tabby. He just opened his eyes yesterday."

Gregory said "Ollie" is gaining weight and starting to crawl on his own.

"He purrs when he's happy," she said. "And when I feed him, he moves his little paws up and down like he's nursing from his mom."

She said he'll be available for adoption in a few months.

Spicuglia said Struble, who lives at 9749 Bexley Lane, complained that a neighbor was feeding stray cats in the neighborhood. She said she shot at the cats with a "Nerf" gun and put the kitten in the trash to hold onto it until her mother could drive it to Animal Services.

"I understand that they want the cats off their property," Spicuglia said. "But there's a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it."

Struble could not be reached for comment.