Kitten encased in spray foam rescued near Hillsboro

A kitten recently was found encased in spray foam and trapped in a garbage can near Hillsboro.

KPTV reports a Hillsboro Garbage Disposal worker discovered the cat May 3 on Southwest Minter Bridge Road.

The worker attempted to use a hydraulic arm on the garbage can, but noticed the contents were not coming out.

Upon further inspection, he saw a small cat that was encased in spray foam and hanging upside down from its back legs.

The driver said he knew the cat was still alive because he could hear it whining.

The driver took the can with the cat back to the Hillsboro Garbage Disposal facility, where crews worked together to remove the kitten from the spray foam. The 8-week-old male kitten was then taken to a veterinarian for treatment.

“A whole team of his coworkers came together and rescued the cat, and cut it out, they used razor blades to cut some of the foam off the kitten’s face…and bring it to the vet,” Brian van Kleef, a deputy with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, said.

The kitten is now recovering at the Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter and is expected to make a full recovery.

Investigators said the trash can is on a property that is used by two homes and several rented outbuildings. Deputies believe the kitten comes from one of two different feral cats that live on the property, both with litters of kittens.

Deputies said it is not clear who committed the act of animal cruelty, but they’re confident that it was intentional. They’ve collected a bottle of spray foam off the property and are testing it for fingerprints.