KINGSLAND, Ga. -- After enduring abuse at the hands of some teenagers in South Georgia, a tiny kitten went under the knife for surgery and is now recovering and waiting for a good home.

It's hard to imagine anyone could hurt an animal too young to even protect itself, but Polly the kitten's story is not about the horrid abuse he endured but about the animals amazing will to live.

"One of our clients witnessed some teenagers, and they were throwing and kicking Polly around like a little ball," said Dr. Michael Payne of the Laurel Oaks Animal Hospital in Kingsland, Ga.

Payne said Polly is lucky to be alive. The kitten was only several weeks old when a group of teenagers severely abused him.

"Polly had a shoulder that was ripped away from the body, and had lots of nerve damage in the leg," Payne said.

After assessing Polly's injuries and waiting for the kitten to stabilize, Payne said they were forced to amputate one of animal's front legs.

"It's an intense surgery. It's a major surgery, as you can tell he lost a limb," Payne said. "Within the next day, he was walking on three legs and up and moving, eating, purring. These guys do recover very well. They just want to get on with life."

Unfortunately, Payne said animal abuse is something he sees all too often. The Laurel Oaks staff was already caring for two young cats that were found in a Dumpster.

Payne said he considers animal abuse to be a very serious offense and wishes that more could be done to prevent it.

"It's not fair to hurt a little animal like this, could you imagine playing football with this?" Payne said. "It's not fair for the animals. Just imagine if they treat animals like this, how do they treat each other?"

Polly continues to get stronger every day, and Payne said the kitten will live a normal life with three legs.

"We need to go to a home where someone has patience with us, somewhere that someone can give us the love and care that we need, so that we can grow up and be strong, even if we do only have three legs," Payne said.

No arrests have been made in connection with the abuse. Anyone with information about who may have abused Polly is asked to call police.

Payne said Polly is up for adoption. Anyone interested in owning the kitten can call 912-576-9801.