smurf because of his purple dye, is recovering from his many bite wounds

A two-month-old purple kitten who suffered from multiple deep wounds was brought to a California animal shelter this week.

The kitten, later nicknamed Smurf because of his dyed bluish fur, was discovered by a rescuer in a box on Monterey Road and then taken to the San Jose Animal Shelter, according to San Jose Mercury News.

Rather than euthanizing Smurf, the shelter called a no kill Shelter called Nine Lives. Nine Live is dedicated to finding homes for injured cats and Smurf definitely qualified.

Abandoned: A two-month-old purple kitten who suffered from multiple deep wounds was brought to a California animal shelter this week. Employees at a California shelter say he may have been used as a chew toy

Rather than euthanizing Smurf, the shelter called a different no kill Shelter called Nine Lives which is dedicated to finding homes for injured cats

Employees at the Nine Lives Foundation say that Smurf was dyed a purple color by his owner and that he may have been used as a chew toy for a dog.

'I can only imagine why someone would dye him purple,' said Monica Rudiger, founder of Nine Lives Foundation.

'I think there are people who find it amusing to take small, innocent animals and use them as play toys.'

Rudiger said that the cat is lucky to be alive.

Sometimes kittens are used as live bait for dogs that are training to fight, according to The DoDo.

'I don't know what happened to him, but my best guess is that he was used as a chew toy. We have a cat with multiple puncture wounds and abrasions,' Rudiger told The Dodo.

Safe place: Rudiger said that the cat is lucky to be alive. Sometimes kittens are used as live bait for dogs that are training to fight. A few people want to adopt Smurf but will not be able to do so until he is healed

Lucky rescue: Smurf was found in a box along the side of the road and brought to a shelter who called Nine Lives

'He can't tell us what happened to him, but I've seen this before. I've seen kittens be used as bait and chew toys for other animals. It makes sense to me.'

Rudiger said that her foundation doesn’t offer free kittens on their website in order to prevent them from being abused.

She's not sure Smurf will ever fully heal.

'We'll never get that purple dye out of him. He's been shaved and he's still purple. It's so deep; it’s probably undiluted garment dye,' said Rudiger. 'I hope it ends well for him, but he seems to be doing really well.'

After Smurf's rescue became public, several people have expressed interest in adopting the one pound, 10 ounce kitten with big green eyes. Though, Smurf will not be ready for adoption for a few months more until he is fully healed.