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Months after being set on fire, shelter cat is happy and healed. He needs a home

Sweet Pixie will talk your ear off.
Sweet Pixie will talk your ear off. Photo screengrab from Pennsylvania SPCA’s Facebook

A cat in Philadelphia who endured a vivid and horrid act of abuse at the hands of children is now all healed and on the lookout for a loving home to spend the rest of his life in.

In April, a kind stranger rushed Pixie, a brown and black cat with a gentle disposition, into an emergency vet after she rescued him from children in her neighborhood who had set him on fire, McClatchy News reported.

“She recounted watching firsthand the kids setting the cat ablaze, and stepped in to rush him to ACCT Philly. It was there that we were contacted to help,” the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in an April 25 Facebook post.

“While we may never know the full details of what happened, we do know this: Pixie suffered in ways we can’t fully comprehend. And he didn’t deserve any of it.”

Months later, Pixie has proven that he’s a strong, and sweet, warrior. And that he hasn’t lost the love and trust he looks for in humans, even after being abused.

“When we first introduced you to Pixie, he was fighting for his life,” the shelter said in a Sept. 9 Facebook post. “He had been the victim of unthinkable cruelty - set on fire and left with devastating injuries.

“But Pixie is a fighter. And today, months later, he is fully healed. His injuries have mended, his fur has grown back, and while he now has a little nub tail and some lasting incontinence from his injuries, his spirit is untouched.”

Now, Pixie is ready to put the past in the past and is looking for a welcoming home where his personality is treasured and he’s treated like the sweetheart he is.

“In fact, you’d never know the pain he’s endured. Pixie is one of the sweetest, most playful, and most talkative cats you’ll ever meet. He greets life with love and joy, asking only for a family who will love him for exactly who he is,” the shelter said.

For more information on Pixie or other adoptable pets, visit the shelter’s website.

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This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Months after being set on fire, shelter cat is happy and healed. He needs a home."

TJ Macias
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TJ Macías is a Real-Time national sports reporter for McClatchy based out of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Formerly, TJ covered the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers beat for numerous media outlets including 24/7 Sports and Mavs Maven (Sports Illustrated). Twitter: @TayloredSiren
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