The feline, named Rue, sustained two broken legs, a broken foot, and a broken jaw from the fall.
One-year-old cat Rue survived being thrown from a balcony on the 12th floor of an apartment building in Minneapolis on June 24, according to Home for Life Animal Sanctuary.
In a July 2 press release, the Minn. rescue wrote that several people witnessed the feline being “thrown from the balcony” of the apartment building and reported it to the local animal control service. The cat fell 12 stories before hitting the pavement. The impact left the cat with two broken legs, a broken left foot, and a fractured jaw.
Home For Life shared that it “obtained emergency help” for Rue, setting her legs and placing a nasogastric tube so she could receive water and nutrition safely after her jaw injury.
The organization posted an update on Rue’s condition on Facebook on July 2, writing that the cat had undergone an “innovative procedure” to bond her upper and lower teeth to “stabilize the fractured bones so she can heal” from her jaw injury.
On June 25, Home For Life wrote on Facebook that Rue was discharged from her initial hospital stay and “recuperating in a loving foster home.” The organization added that the cat was “very affectionate, even purring a little, and allowed handling even though she must still be afraid and in pain,” according to her foster parent.
Home For Life shared another update five days later, writing that Rue was “eating on her own” and attempting to walk with the casts on both her front legs. The post added that Rue had full-body x-rays done, and no additional damage to her internal organs or skeleton was found.
In the press release, the organization claimed it “asked—but has not yet had a response if the person or person who did this to Rue will be prosecuted for animal cruelty” — a felony crime in all 50 states, according to Animal Legal Defense Fund.
The Star Tribune reported on July 2 that Rue’s case is closed, citing a police report on the incident.
Home For Life responded to the information on Facebook and alleged that “no charges” were “brought for animal cruelty.”
“The fact that animal cruelty of this scale is occurring, and without apparent consequences, needs to be brought to light,” the rescue added on social media. “Thank you to these media outlets for championing the case of our Rue, who didn’t deserve the cruelty she suffered.”
Thankfully, Rue appears to be improving with each passing day. Home for Life wrote on July 2, “We hope that today marks a turning point for her and that she is on the way to healing and a life of love and caring.”
