CLAREMORE, Oklahoma - Animals often are dumped at shelters, but one cat was dropped off with an injury so bad, it required three surgeries.

A Claremore veterinarian says there's a chance it was a person who caused that wound.

Oklahoma Animal Alliance, animal shelters and hospitals see abuse every now and then, but Cade the cat was hurt so badly that some are surprised it's still alive.

No one knows where he came from, who he belongs to or why he has a huge gash in his neck.

"Well, the infection wasn't so bad, but the wound area was pretty large,” Ark Animal Hospital veterinarian Brady Robbins said. "…About from her shoulder up to under the base of her jaw."

Cade is better now, post-surgery, but still sluggish from the morphine.

He came to Ark Animal Hospital in Claremore after he was found outside a shelter.

The sign says, “No dumping of animals,” but someone came to the Claremore Animal Shelter and left the cat for dead.

Robbins said Cade could have been hurt intentionally.

The wound looks like a burn, but there's no telling exactly what caused the injury or why he was dumped.

"I mean, it could've just been someone that their intent was, ‘hey, they didn't know what to do and they were there to help,'” Robbins said. “Or it was their cat and they didn't want to be responsible."

A shelter worker said normally, the shelter would euthanize a dumped, injured cat.

But Cade was fighting hard to live.

The worker called a local rescue group, and now, Robbins believes Cade will make a full recovery.

Robbins said if there's someone out there who hurt him, that's disturbing.

"You know, if you're kind of a sicko with the animals, you're probably that way... something needs to be fixed,” he said. “Got your wiring a little crossed somewhere."

Again, animal shelters and hospitals do not want people dumping animals.

However, they do say if you know of an injured animal, but may not be able to pay for its care, make some calls to local rescue groups that may be able to help.

The Oklahoma Alliance for Animals is posting at $2,500 reward for any information about how the cat was injured.