This cat left covered in purple paint by cruel pranksters was also left with a purple tongue after he tried to lick himself clean.

And when he was taken to the vet’s to be cleaned by an animal lover, the vet decided to sterilise him as well.

People spotted the spray-painted cat at a student accommodation at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) in Gombak District, located in the state of Selangor in Malaysia on 11th September.

One woman, going by ‘twttaca’ on X (formerly known as Twitter) said that the vet she visited with the feline confirmed that the paint could not be removed without shaving his fur off.

Only once that was done could they scrub the male cat’s skin to remove the rest of the purple paint, and they also needed to clean the cat’s tongue which had turned purple as a result of him trying to wash himself.

‘twttaca’ said that the symbols painted on the cat appeared to include an X and a smiling emoji among other markings and it was unclear who did it or why.

The young woman appealed for funds to pay for the treatment of the cat, including shaving him, and on the vet’s advice, the cat was also sterilised and dewormed.

Some people joked that after the sterilisation the cat might have preferred to have remained painted, but others criticised the people who originally painted the feline.

Some expressed their gratitude to ‘twttaca’ for taking care of the cat.

As of now, the post has garnered 1.2 million views.