Someone likely covered this SC cat’s face in glue, rescuers say. Here’s how you can help it survive

A young cat was found hiding behind an air conditioning unit in a Columbia apartment complex with life-threatening injuries due to a substance resembling glue or paint covering her head and neck.

Manuela Schafer of For the Love of Street Dogs rescue said someone saw the cat, now named Emmie, run behind the unit at Spring Lake Apartments and picked her up easily. Schafer thinks Emmie was someone’s pet and fears the adhesive was applied intentionally in an act of cruelty.

“This cat came to somebody and this is what they did,” Schafer said.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Columbia Police Department and the Humane Society are investigating.

Veterinarians at the Columbia Veterinary Emergency Trauma and Specialty Center have worked to remove the hardened substance since July 4, when Emmie was found. Her eyes were glued shut, the substance partially blocked her nose and it was in her mouth. She also has chemical burns, which increases the chance of infection.

Schafer said warm compresses were used to remove the substance. Emmie can see out of one eye and she’s eating, she said, although the doctor noted she wasn’t getting enough nutrition and inserted a feeding tube Monday. She’s receiving antibiotics, fluids and pain medication.

Emmie, a black and white domestic cat, is 1 to 3 years old. She purrs when she sits on someone’s lap, further making Schafer think she was a pet.

“She’s so gentle, taking food off your finger. She’s a sweetheart,” Schafer said.

Emmie’s chances of survival are good, Schafer said. If she continues to improve, Emmie will go to a medical foster home.

Schafer, who has worked in animal rescue for more than a dozen years, said, “I’ve seen a lot, but this is the worst I’ve ever seen.”

Ways to donate to Emmie’s care can be found on the For the Love of Street Dogs website.