A 9-month-old tortoiseshell cat was "sexually abused" and burned before being dumped in an alley in Surrey in South East England. The kitten was reportedly found with a makeshift splint on her front right leg and was unable to stand.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) workers rescued the kitten, calling it the worst abuse they had ever come across on a cat. Authorities of the animal charity have launched an investigation and are trying to locate the person responsible for the abuse.

"It appears she may have been severely abused and she has a number of wounds full of maggots. The vets believe these may have originally been burns as she had candle wax all over her tail," Liz Wood, deputy manager at RSPCA’s Millbrook Animal Centre, in Woking, said. "She also shows signs of having been sexually abused – it is absolutely awful.

Authorities said the cat "had a makeshift splint on one of her front legs and is currently not able to stand on her back legs so we think she has some soft tissue and nerve damage as her x-rays are clear of any fractures."

"She isn’t out of the clear yet but we are hoping she will make a recovery as she is very bright and a little fighter... We have never seen a cat so abused before and it is heartbreaking that this has happened to her," Wood added, according to the U.K.'s Metro.

Officials urged the public to come forward with any information that may lead to the arrest of the animal abuser. Graphic photos of the kitten's injuries were shared by several local media outlets.

The RSPCA, which have named the kitten "Minnie," shared a video of the cat as she recovers.

kittens
Two kittens lie in the ruins of the ancient Agora in Athens June 20, 2015. Reuters/ Paul Hanna