Cat presumed dead survives

Lennox lives.

The female orange and white cat that was tortured, mutilated and left for dead in a wooded area by IU sophomore Christopher Gugliuzza is alive and well.

Laurie Ringquist, director of the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter, said the feline was found Monday evening by two students.

“When this broke, they put two and two together,” she said.

Lennox currently resides at a veterinary clinic and is suffering from a fever, although Ringquist said the fever is nothing to worry about. X-rays also show Lennox is not suffering anything “too serious” at this point but will be kept overnight due to the fever.
Bloomington Police Department Detective Sgt. John Kovach said although the cat is alive, the same charges remain.

“Whether the cat dies or not is not the key,” Kovach said. “It’s the torture and mutilation. It doesn’t change the charges at all.”

Gugliuzza is preliminarily charged with theft and two counts of animal cruelty — all felony counts.

The 19-year-old School of Public and Enviromental Affairs student reportedly stole Lennox from the animal shelter Monday and returned to his Bloomington apartment where he admitted to hurting the cat, wrapping a power cord around her neck, dragging her through the apartment and ultimately taking the feline to a wooded area where he slammed Lennox against a tree and struck her with a rock.

Gugliuzza also admitted to police he killed at least one other cat.