Sparkle the kitten goes home

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) Sparkle the kitten left Animal Care on Thursday to go to her new home.

At 10:00 a.m., Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control threw a "happy-new-home" party for Sparkle and her new family.

A lottery was held to select the owner for Sparkle. Animal Care accepted applicants on Oct. 15 and 16. They then used a lottery system to select a candidate who met and interacted with the kitten on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Lynne Ticen, of Fort Wayne, was one of 12 local candidates that submitted an application. She got the phone call on Wednesday that she had won the lottery.

"I was very excited. I was just very pleased and honored that I was the one selected," said Ticen. "She is just such a beautiful cat, I was just amazed that she survived."

Sparkle was turned into Animal Care and Control in June when she was an eight-week-old kitten. Her whiskers has been burned off, her feet were burned and workers believed she may have been tortured with fireworks attached to her tail with a rubber band. At the time, her paws are so badly burned she didn't stand on all four legs at once.

Animal Care and Control initiated an animal cruelty investigation that led to the arrest of Matthew Jerome in August .

Jerome faces two felony charges for cruelty, and a misdemeanor for neglect. A court date has been set for Tuesday, January 15 at 9 a.m.

Sparkle meanwhile, spent time recovering in a foster home until she was well enough to go up for adoption.

While Sparkle is no longer available for adoption, Animal Care and Control has plenty of other cats available .