Cat with gang tattoos seeks new home after being rescued from Mexican prison
Veterinarian Diego Poggio holds up the sphynx cat now up for adoption. (Reuters: Jose Luis Gonzalez)
Wanted: A new home for a one-of-a-kind feline.
A sphynx cat, which is about one year old and does not yet have a name, is up for adoption after being rescued from the Cereso 3 prison in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, during a police raid.
The cat has several gang tattoos, including one that says Made in Mexico. (Reuters: Jose Luis Gonzalez)
The cat is believed to have suffered mistreatment at the hands of a criminal gang while in the prison.
It has tattoos on both sides of its furless body, including the phrase "Made in Mexico" — commonly used by a street gang allied with the Sinaloa Cartel.
Authorities say they are now looking for the right family to take the cat, which has spent weeks recovering with care workers and is not for sale, into their home.
The sphynx cat gets a pat from veterinarian Giselle Rubio. (Reuters: Jose Luis Gonzalez)
"The cat is very sociable and is in great shape, with no infections," said Cesar Rene Diaz, Ciudad Juárez's ecology director.
A committee of city authorities will make the final decision about the adoption before presenting the cat to its new family in a ceremony on March 1.
Reuters/ABC