‘Cowardly’ Chicago Teen Throws Boiling Water On Cat And Posts Disturbing Video On Facebook — But ‘Special’ Cat Survives [Photo]

Leon Teague, a Chicago teen who threw boiling water on an unsuspecting cat and then posted the disturbing video on Facebook, has been slammed with animal cruelty charges and might end up facing a good deal of his early years in juvenile detention.

Thanks to one pet lover, however, the brave cat has not only managed to survive the ghastly ordeal, but is reportedly spending his days in an animal shelter in “very good spirits.”

Teague took social media by storm earlier this week when he posted a disturbing video on Facebook — which later went viral because of its content — where the Chicago teen can be seen luring a cat on the porch of his Chicago home and then dousing him with boiling water.

In the video, which has not been uploaded here because of its graphic nature, a white cat with black spots can be seen near a blue litter box and a feeding tray on the rear porch of a home with someone behind the camera — now identified as Leon Teague — holding a black pot with hot water. He then makes noises to lure the cat in his direction, and once the feline is sufficiently close to him, Teague splashes the scorching water all over the cat.

Visibly burnt, the cat in the video begins howling loudly before running for safety away from the porch, according to NBC Chicago.

Cat seen scalded in Facebook video is rescued, being treated at shelter https://t.co/iN43oxtMVt pic.twitter.com/yTmQobeGak

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) February 6, 2016

The Chicago teen then uploaded the video on his Facebook profile, where he goes by the name “Glock Boy MurDoc.” Since the shocking video surfaced online, animal rights groups created a social media furor, prompting the police to take immediate action.

Leon Teague has now been charged with one felony count of animal torture and one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, and has been set a bail of $10,000.

After his arrest, an unapologetic Teague seemed to suggest that there was nothing wrong with what he did, according to New York Daily News.

“The video was a cat that somebody poured water on,” the Chicago teen who threw boiling water on a cat told the policemen. “If you think I did it, lock me up. S**t. I know the system. If I admit to this, I’m going to jail. Glock Boy MurDoc is my Facebook name and people come in and out of my apartment all the time.”

But as heartbreaking as this incident is, there is a silver lining to the story.

Heather Weidmann, a construction worker by trade and a pet lover by heart, was horrified when she saw the disturbing video in her Facebook feed Thursday night. Having volunteered in operations dealing with pet-rescues in the past, Weidmann decided to save the feline in the video.

After Leon Teague was arrested, Weidmann asked a fellow cat-lover to help her find the cat, and headed straight to Park Manor neighborhood on Friday afternoon. “We sort of have crazy cat powers,” Weidmann, 43, told the Chicago Tribune. “We always find them.”

Weidmann and her friend, Melissa Belice, searched the alley behind Teague’s residence all of Friday afternoon, but failed to find the cat. But she knew she had to come back. So the two pet lovers returned on Friday night, this time with a group of Chicago Animal Care and Control officers, and were overjoyed to find the burnt cat in the alley.

“We showed up in the alley, and the cat was there,” she said. “We called him over. He was friendly.”

The woman added that she was amazed to see the cat in good spirits after what had transpired, and called Leon Teague a “coward” for his abhorring actions.

“His fur is singed and he has burns on him,” Weidmann added. “He’s got scabbing but he’s very friendly and he’s in great spirits.”

Now she is planning to give the special cat a new name and a new home. “He’s got to have a pretty damn special name,” she said. “For everything that he’s been through, to still come up and let us touch him and pet him, he’s pretty damn special.”

The Chicago teen might have scalded the cat for the sake of sadistic pleasure, but people like Weidmann will always remind us that there are people for whom each life is special.

[Image via Chicago Police Department]