Smokey the kitten is about nine weeks old and walks with a limp.
Witnesses have told the SPCA he was tossed out of a van this month.
"The finder said it was just like a bag of rubbish being tossed out of the vehicle," said Jill Purl of the SPCA Tampa Bay.
SPCA received the call April 11 after someone found the kitten on Grand Boulevard in Tarpon Springs. A witness said she saw something get thrown out the driver’s side window of a maroon minivan while it was moving, so she pulled over to help.
Smokey was dehydrated, covered in fleas and taken to Ridgemoor Animal Hospital in Palm Harbor. The vet’s office said Smokey has nerve damage to his right leg, so they’ll have to amputate. Purl said it’s heartbreaking.
"It's actually very disturbing, because, as I say, they just have to call the shelter and we'll be happy to pick them up,” Purl said.
Smokey already has a foster home, but this animal cruelty case isn't over. The SPCA is trying to find out who threw the kitten out of that van.