

Chris Kitching, CP24.com





This cat may have been a goner if not for a passerby and Toronto police officers who scooped it out of a garbage can.

The days-old kitten escaped death when someone found it in a trash bin near St. Clair and Arlington avenues overnight, and then flagged down 13 Division officers for help.

Police suspect someone dumped the tiny cat in the bin. Officers aren't sure where it came from or where the rest of the litter is.

“I don’t understand it. I can’t understand how anybody can do that," said 13 Division Const. Shawn Kinghorn. "There’s lots of way to find a good home. How you can shove an animal like this into a garbage can, I can’t understand.”

After the cat was pulled out of the trash, it was taken to a veterinarian, who checked it over and gave it a clean bill of health.

With its nine lives still intact, the kitten was adopted by Kinghorn, who named the little feline Django in a nod to legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt.

As Kinghorn cradled the sleeping animal in his arms as it curled up with a teddy bear, he said Django is believed to be 10 to 12 days old.

Until Django can eat solid food, Kinghorn must hand-feed the orphaned kitten formula from a syringe or bottle.

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