BREMERTON – A cat was found on fire just before midnight Sunday near 15th Street and High Avenue in Bremerton.

The Bremerton Police Department, which responded to the call, is looking for any information from the public about the incident.

The cat, yellow and seemingly well-fed, was taken to the Emergency Veterinarian Clinic in Silverdale, but was euthanized almost immediately, according to Bremerton Police Chief Steve Strachan.

“It had severe burns,” Strachan said, “including to its head and face. The skin was badly burned.”

According to a press release issued by the department, a man was out for a walk when he spotted something on fire that appeared to be moving. He found the cat near the tennis courts behind the Bremerton High School complex and called 911.

The cat was no longer on fire when the first officer arrived, “but was writhing in pain,” according to the press release.

Strachan said that the officer who arrived first is a pet lover, “like most of us,” and did her best to ensure the cat survived or, if it couldn’t that it was taken quickly to a facility that could quickly and humanely euthanize it.

Strachan said that crimes against animals like this tend to resonate with people.

“We deal with crimes against human beings that are really horrible frequently,” Strachan said. “This doesn’t make those things any less important or less serious but … intentionally burning an animal, it causes people to be angry.

“I think we all sort of understand the sort of visceral reaction people get when an innocent animal is victimized in this way.”

Strachan said in the press release, “Any person who would commit this horrific act on an innocent animal is also someone who would probably tell someone else about it, and we are counting on that person to do the right thing and provide us the information we need to bring animal cruelty charges against the person responsible.”

Strachan said that as of Monday afternoon, they still did not know who the owners of this cat are. The cat had no collar on, and had no microchip for identification. Strachan said they’d like to at least give the family closure.

This is not the first animal cruelty case in recent months in Bremerton.

Strachan said that on Aug. 28, a cat was found with pellet wounds, like those caused by BB-guns. That cat also needed to be euthanized because of the extent of the wounds. Strachan said the pet owners had no idea who might have hurt their cat. He said it had been outside, and returned home with the wounds.

He added, “Obviously, we don’t know if those two are related.”

“It’s very unusual for something like this to happen,” Strachan said. “We don’t see this very often. We’d like to find a way to get the person responsible charged.”

The charges, he said, would be for animal cruelty, though the degree of the charges depends on information gathered, and would be at the discretion of the county prosecutor.

Anyone with information about these or other crimes should call the Bremerton Police Department at 360-473-5349.