Arsonists in Italy Used Live Cats as Kindling to Start Forest Fires

Italian authorities have launched an investigation after arsonists in southern Italy used live cats as "living kindling" to start devastating forest fires.

The method is as brutal as it is effective. Cats were found with rags soaked in flammable liquid tied to their tails. The rags were set alight and the animals released. Panicked, the cats ran wildly through agricultural and natural areas, spreading fire rapidly across large swaths of land in a short time.

Local authorities and animal welfare organizations have condemned the acts as severe animal cruelty and arson. Investigators are searching for those responsible.

Animal protection groups are calling on witnesses to come forward and urging harsher penalties for the use of animals in deliberately starting wildfires. The case has sparked outrage across Italy, where the summer fire season has already stretched emergency services thin.