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Kitten recovers after being stuck in glue trap

Print | Comments () Posted by Martin Finucane January 7, 2011 04:04 PM

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MSPCA

Elma was scrubbed for 30 minutes to remove the glue. She'll have to undergo more scrubbing later.

By Katherine Landergan, Globe Staff

A four-week-old calico kitten is recovering after it nearly starved to death when it got stuck in a glue trap, said Brian Adams, spokesman for the MSPCA in Boston.

Elma, a 12-ounce kitten, walked onto a sticky sheet of glue intended to kill mice and rats. Her back legs and tail stuck to the paper, leaving Elma immobilized, Adams said.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, Elma was turned over to the MSPCA by an individual who would not disclose the owner's identity. The cat was still covered in glue, so MSPCA staff members scrubbed her with detergent for 30 minutes.

"It was lucky she was discovered," Adams said.

He said that when small animals are caught in these traps, they often try to remove themselves. In doing so, mice, cats, and even dogs can lose fur, skin, and develop skin irritations.

"We view these traps as inhumane, because they are designed to provide a slow death, kill an animal and they are indiscriminate about what they trap," Adams said.

Elma still has some glue stuck to her, and will undergo a few more washings. Because of her age and low weight, Adams said, Elma will not be put up for adoption for at least a month.

To read about more humane ways to dispose of mice, rats and other wildlife intruders, visit www.mspca.org/intruderexcluder.