"Little guy is a trooper:" HAWS kitten 'Hot Rod' suffering from severe burns needs your help

WAUKESHA -- The Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) of Waukesha needs your help after a cat was badly burned -- as they nurse him back to health.

Hot Rod

Only Hot Rod knows what happened, leading to his painful burns. His caretakers can only guess.

"We have no idea. He was found on the road. It could be that he was in an engine or something of that nature -- but we don't know," said Alysha Hansen, kennel lead and Hot Rod's foster mom.

Someone spotted the kitten last weekend, and brought him into the Humane Animal Welfare Society in Waukesha to be cared for.

Hot Rod

"We noticed right away that he had burns and that his hair was really short, singed, and his whiskers were all curly so we had our veterinarians check him out right away. He got on antibiotics right away and pain medication," said Hansen.

Hot Rod

HAWS officials and his foster mom are hopeful that his wounds will heal up within the next month or two.

"This little guy is a trooper. He already is showing that he is ready to bounce back. He's well on the way to recovery," said HAWS Marketing Communications Coordinator Jennifer Smieja.

Hansen, who works at HAWS, is serving as Hot Rod's foster mom while he continues to heal. Once he's recovered, they're hopeful someone will adopt him and give him a good forever home.

Hot Rod

"We are so grateful for the people who stopped and picked him up and brought him in. Without them, we don't know what could have happened to him," said Smieja.

Hot Rod

You can help with Hot Rod’s recovery.

HAWS officials say:

CLICK HERE if you would like to make a donation via HAWS website, through PayPal.

If you would like to mail in a donation, you can send it to: