A 6-week-old kitten who was rescued from a vat of industrial glue has officially been given a name: Elmer.
Cassie Davidson, senior director of marketing, communications, and public relations at the Humane Society of North Texas, told ABC News' Danny New that a good Samaritan brought the kitten to the humane society after finding the feline covered in industrial-strength adhesive.
"We immediately sprung into action. We didn't even ask questions. We were just like, 'Let's go!'" Davidson recalled.
In a Facebook post about Elmer shared on April 12, the humane society noted that "the thick substance left him unable to eat, drink, or properly care for himself, and he arrived severely dehydrated and in critical need of help."
According to Davidson, the humane society's medical staff experimented with different solvents before figuring out canola oil worked best for removing the glue on Elmer.
Davidson said four staff members massaged about two gallons of canola oil onto Elmer for seven hours while feeding him occasionally. They then wrapped gauze around the kitten's body to let the oil soak into his fur and a majority of glue has now been removed.
"It was very, very labor intensive, but we were committed … and then he started to perk up as more and more glue was removed. He kind of just found his spark again," Davidson said.
The humane society and foster team will continue to care for Elmer, including giving him regular oil baths to help remove some of the remaining glue.
The staff expects to put Elmer up for adoption once he is a little older.
"He just wants love," Davidson said.
