South Carolina 16-year-old may face charges for throwing cat into fire

Law enforcement officials in South Carolina are considering charging a 16-year-old boy after he was accused of throwing a cat into a fire last week.

In a Saturday Facebook post, the Darlington County Humane Society Rescue explained that the cat named Elizabeth had been brought to the shelter by its owner after a 16-year-old neighbor tossed it into a fire. However, some reports said the boy was only 13 years old.

"She is burned over the majority of her body - and was in incredible pain," the post said. "Yet, she still purrs and head butts even when her painful burns are being cleaned."

"We had a hard decision to make when she came in - euthanize her or try to make a difference for this abused sweetheart. We opted for the latter - we are hoping our community friends will support us in this endeavor and prove that we made the right choice for Elizabeth."

WMBF reported that the community had responded by donating over $12,000 to cover medical bills for Elizabeth and other needy animals.

And on Monday, WPDE noted that the Humane Society had found an appropriate foster home for Elizabeth.

The organization also asked that people focus on helping the animals instead of posting negative comments about the 16-year-old suspect: "The outpour of love and help have been wonderful but the negative, nasty comments are coming in faster then we can keep up. It's not productive and saddens me to have to constantly go in and block all the vulgar language that was getting through. I know people are upset and want to vent but it isn't helping. Thank you for caring."

Darlington County Sheriff's Office confirmed to WPDE that the teen boy was being investigated for allegations he threw the cat into the fire.