Smurf, The Kitten Who Was Dyed Purple And Used As A Dog Toy, Is Now Bouncing Back

Last December, Smurf was found in a cardboard box with severe injuries and, strangely of all, covered in purple paint. The kitten weighed only800 gramsand hisbody was covered in scratches, cuts and bite marks.

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It was thanks toNive Lives Foundation, a shelter based in California, that Smurf got back on hispaws. The shelter took himin and immediately operated on his abdomen. Monica Rudiger, the vet in charge of Smurf's surgery, explained toABC News:

I believe that, for someone's amusement, this kitten was used as a chew toy for their dog. Somebody thought it was funny, I'm assuming, to dye him purple.

SMURF'S daily update!From all of us at Nine Lives we thank all of you for your generous support of our mission to save kittens like SMURF & WANDA! Your donations of canned food & baby food arrive every day & we are overwhelmed by the love we feel from people all over the country & around the world!SMURF continues to improve & his wounds are healing well! We hope that he and WANDA are able to go to their foster home this week! We will have them return to Nine Lives on weekends as often as possible for visitors! We will keep you posted!Thank you again for all of your support! We promise to give weekly if not daily updates from his foster home!WANDA has taken on a purple hue from snuggling with SMURF! Check out her under belly... :)Posted by Nine Lives Foundation on Monday, January 4, 2016

The little kitten was given the name "Smurf" after the little blue cartoon characters. After his operation, Smurf soon became close to a blindfemale cat called Wanda who was also in the shelter.Since the start of their friendship, the two felines have been helping each other get back on their paws. They're very affectionate and are virtually inseparable now.

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The shelter has even set up aFacebookpage just for the two little cats, and it's already got over 15,000 followers!

^{Source :}^{@NineLivesFoundation}

^{Source :}^{@NineLivesFoundation}

Today, Smurf is doing so much better. The traces of purple dye have virtually disappeared and his physical scars have healed. His mental scars may take longer to heal but he already seems in great spirits."Hard to believe that 6 weeks ago he was 100% indigo purple!", the volunteers at the shelter commented.