Des Moines Register

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is asking for the public's help to determine how a cat suffered severe burns on most of its body.

Dawn the cat was found in the 1500 block of NE 53rd Avenue by Des Moines police Jan. 25 with burns on her paws, legs and face, according to a news release from the ARL. Her breathing was labored, she could not open one eye and could barely open the other, the group said. Dawn's whiskers and the tips of her ears were also burned off and her fur was singed.

The ARL has treated the cat with pain medication and antibiotics and given her subcutaneous fluids for severe dehydration.

“When we offered food, she ate like she hadn’t eaten in days,” said Tom Colvin, CEO for the ARL. “Dawn remains under the close watch of our medical team, and while we’re seeing some hopeful signs — she has started purring and gently asking to be petted — she still has a long road ahead of her.”

ARL officials say the cat is microchipped but they've not been able to identify her owners. The ARL does not know yet if a human set the animal on fire or if the animal climbed into something that had a fire in it.

"Right now we're just hoping someone saw something," Colvin said.

The ARL encourages anyone with information about the cat's injuries to email them at arl@arl-iowa.org.