"She said it was because he was driving through the pain and driving through the fear and coming out the other end," Smith said.



A post on the shelter's Facebook page shows large open wounds where the cat's fur and skin was scalded. She said Driver is comfortable but "highly drugged."



"He actually walked to use his litter box last night, which is great," Smith said. "We're grateful (the boiling water) didn't get his face or head."



Driver is currently undergoing "debriding" procedures, according to Smith.



"You basically cut out all the necrotic and dead tissue," Smith said. "He's very close to having an infection. He will undergo this procedure, and we'll get him started with laser therapy to help the new skin cells grow.



"After this he'll go to rehab...then we'll get him adopted," she said.



Driver is "shockingly" friendly despite his ordeal, Smith said.



"He has every right to be mad at every human being," she said. "It's kind of crazy he's so affectionate and likes to be petted still. We're all dying to hug him. I want to see how he'll be like in a home setting."



The shelter has set up an online fundraising page, with donations covering Driver's rehab and the needs of other abused and neglected animals, Smith said.



"We're confident he's going to be OK," she said. "It's just going to take a long time and a lot of vet care."



geoffz@tribpub.com

Twitter @JournoGeoffZ