A kitten has been saved after she was left to drown in a river with a four-kilogram electric saw tied around her.
The six-month-old cat was abandoned in Adelaide’s River Torrens on Friday before she was discovered by Good Samaritan Megan Eastaughffe, 41.
Ms Eastaughffe said she was feeding her horse at her Fulham home, in the city’s west, when she heard a distressed meow, Adelaide Now reported.
A six-month-old kitten (pictured) has been saved after she was left to drown in Adelaide’s River Torrens on Friday
Good Samaritan Megan Eastaughffe, 41, discovered the kitten abandoned in the river and called a friend
Jessica Searle (pictured), 22, stepped into the one-metre-deep water to rescue the cat
She then spotted the kitten in the water and tried to coax her to swim to the bank, but she wouldn’t budge.
‘Then I changed my angle … and saw something was tied to her waist,’ she told the publication.
Ms Eastaughffe called her friend Jessica Searle, 22, who stepped into the one-metre-deep water to rescue the cat.
She then found the cat was being weighed down by a circular saw that was tied around her waist.
‘It was just horrendous, I was half sobbing, that was so overwhelming,’ Ms Eastaughffe said.
Ms Eastaughffe said the kitten immediately warmed to her rescuers, who named her Splash.
She found the cat was being weighed down by a circular saw (pictured) that was tied around her waist
Ms Eastaughffe said the kitten immediately warmed to her rescuers, who named her Splash
Splash was found to still be in healthy condition, but without any identification or microchip, meaning the owner couldn’t be tracked down
The pair also noticed that Splash’s coat, whiskers and eyelashes appeared to be recently clipped.
‘If you don’t want an animal, why harm a beautiful, innocent creature which only has love to give when you have other options?’ Ms Eastaughffe said.
Ms Searle took to Facebook after the rescue, saying: ‘After what a human had done to her, she was still so loving and trusting which broke my heart even more.’
Splash was taken to an emergency vet and was in the care of the RSPCA on Saturday.
She was found to still be in healthy condition, but without any identification or microchip, meaning the owner couldn’t be tracked down, Adelaide Now reported.
RSPCA South Australia inspector Verity Otto confirmed the organisation is investigating the case of animal cruelty.
She said the offender could face up to four years in jail or a $50,000 fine.