GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- Gwinnett police are looking for a man they said poured a pot of boiling water on a cat and left it severely burned.

Two-year-old Ella has found care and healing in the hands of the staff of FurKids, a no-kill animal shelter in Norcross. By looking at the friendly and trusting cat, you can't tell she had been tortured just a few days ago.

Beneath Ella's fur are many blisters and burns. A witness told police that a man and a woman at a Norcross apartment building lured the animal into the hallway and poured a pot of boiling water on the cat.

Neighbors told Channel 2's Rachel Kim that they were stunned. "I used to feed the cat and everything," said resident Emma Brown. "It was a real friendly cat."

"It's absolutely heart-wrenching to think that someone could hold this cat down and allow someone else to pour scalding hot water on this animal," said FurKids Inc. founder Samantha Shelton.

Gwinnett County police are looking for 19-year-old Mark Edwards. Officials said he doesn't live at the complex but his brother's girlfriend does.

In the meantime, Ella will continue her medication and treatment until she can get back on her feet.

"Her long-term prognosis is very positive. She'll experience some permanent hair loss but you can see from her demeanor that she is improving very well and healing," said Shelton.

The suspect's brother told Kim the cat is actually his and that neither of them would ever hurt the cat.

Ella should be up for adoption in a few months.