Cat Scalded In Online Video Is Recovering At Chicago Animal Shelter

(CBS) – A cat horribly burned when a Chicago teen doused him with scalding water has a new, temporary home.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov has more on who is helping Driver the cat heal.

Abby Smith is ready and very willing to help this feline heal. It's what she does as executive director of Chicago's Felines & Canines, a no-kill shelter on the North Side.

But this case really hurts.

"I thought it couldn't get any worse or I couldn't hear any more things to shock me, and I was sickened like the rest of the world," Smith says.

Last Tuesday, police say 18-year-old Leon Teague, with camera rolling, lured Driver with food and then dumped a pot of scalding water on him. Then Teague allegedly posted the video on Facebook.

Heather Weidmann saw it, and determination set in. She says she called a friend and said, "We have to rescue this cat."

They did, in an alley near 69th and King Drive. That was three days after the cat was severely burned.

After a brief stay at Chicago's Animal Control department, Weidmann on Monday transported Driver to Felines & Canines, which is having their vet examine and treat the animal. His treatment and prognosis is explained on the shelter's Facebook page.

"Then the next stage is finding him a great home, which I don't doubt for a second we can do," Smith, the director, says. "We're going to make this the best day of his life, because things just go up from here."

Teague was charged with animal torture, a felony, and a related misdemeanor.

Smith says her shelter's goal is to get Driver to trust people again.

Why is the cat called Driver? Weidmann, his rescuer, gave him the moniker.

"Because he has the drive and will to overcome all that he has been through, and he still loves unconditionally and trustingly," she explains. "He will also drive people to make a difference. He will show them that to love and show compassion does not make you weak, but makes you stronger."