WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- A couple of youngsters rescued two kittens found bound fishing line on a boat in a storage yard in suburban West Palm Beach.
The kittens, some believe, were destined to be used as fish bait.
Rescuers said the kittens front paws were tied together with fishing line so tightly they swelled to three times the normal size.
The kittens were near death.
Inga Hanley of the area's Adopt-A-Cat Foundation said she's seen kittens used as bait for various trapping events and calls it nothing new.
"They use them for gator bait," she said.
"There's a lot of things people do with little kittens, that's why they always tell you 'don't advertise free kittens in the paper' because a lot of horrible things happen to them."
And even though Hanley said it's nothing new, the atrocities still surprise her.
"It shocks me every time because you think people couldn't do such a thing," she said.
Hanley plans to nurse the kittens back to health by giving them anti-biotics and vitamins.
She hopes they will be able to recuperate enough to fight off the infection on their paws.
The kittens, some believe, were destined to be used as fish bait.
Rescuers said the kittens front paws were tied together with fishing line so tightly they swelled to three times the normal size.
The kittens were near death.
Inga Hanley of the area's Adopt-A-Cat Foundation said she's seen kittens used as bait for various trapping events and calls it nothing new.
"They use them for gator bait," she said.
"There's a lot of things people do with little kittens, that's why they always tell you 'don't advertise free kittens in the paper' because a lot of horrible things happen to them."
And even though Hanley said it's nothing new, the atrocities still surprise her.
"It shocks me every time because you think people couldn't do such a thing," she said.
Hanley plans to nurse the kittens back to health by giving them anti-biotics and vitamins.
She hopes they will be able to recuperate enough to fight off the infection on their paws.
