PantherKut

Even after losing two paws, several inches of tail, both ears and part of her nose to frostbite, Popsicle the cat still has at least one of her nine lives left.
The plucky feline was barely moving when a civilian worker at Fort Wainwright found her under his truck Dec. 12.

Roger Hasting had seen the cat when he came to work and tried to catch her at the time, but she was too fast for him and ran away. The subzero temperatures took their toll on her by lunchtime though, as she hid under his engine in search of warmth, which is when he decided to bring her inside.
“When I crawled under there to get her, that cat was in bad shape,” he said.

Hasting brought the cat to his co-worker, Donna Buck-Davis, who also is president of Loving Companions Animal Rescue.

The cat, nicknamed Popsicle because of the way it was found, was walking on the sides of her paws, but still friendly to people.

“I picked her up and couldn’t tell she was in any kind of pain,” Buck-Davis said. “She was just a purring machine.”

But Popsicle was not doing well. It’s hard to say just how long the cat was outside, but veterinarian Jeanne Olsen believes Popsicle got her front paws wet, which contributed to the worst case of frostbite she said she’s ever seen in a cat.

Olsen amputated one paw above the wrist to see how the cat would react, then the other a few days later. The carpal pad of each paw was sewn to the end of each stump for some cushioning when Popsicle walks.

After her ears and tip of her nose fell off, Olsen thought Popsicle was out of the woods, but that’s when her tail became stiff with frostbite. That, too, had to go.

PRETTY NORMAL LIFE

That may sound like a lot of surgery for one animal, and it is. The medication alone has run into the hundreds of dollars, and Buck-Davis has no idea what the final bill will be for the surgeries. But more than a month later, Popsicle only has one bandage left on her tail and is doing remarkably well considering what she’s been through

Lying on a green dog pillow in Olsen’s office, she happily meows and purrs, rubbing her head against the hands of those willing to pay her attention. Olsen thinks the scabs around her ears probably still itch.

“She has a pretty normal life,” said Olsen, who is caring for Popsicle as the cat awaits adoption. “Though she’ll need some extra care since she can’t really defend herself.”

Popsicle was declawed when she was found, so it’s safe to assume she was someone’s pet. Olsen believes someone dumped the cat outside in an effort to get rid of it.

“Some people think it’s more humane than taking an animal to the pound where it might be euthanized, but it’s a guaranteed death sentence for a cat in the winter,” she said.

The cat initially lost some weight, refusing to eat more than a couple bites of food in the days immediately after her surgeries, but she’s gained it back during her recovery. Olsen says Popsicle seems to prefer canned fish and especially sardines.

She could use another week for her tail to heal, but if someone really wanted to adopt her, Popsicle could go home with them right away. Olsen hopes the cat’s story will inspire humans as well.

“It seems that animals live in the present,” she said. “Even though she’s handicapped it’s like ‘this is how I am.’ She’s not thinking she’s not any good to anyone.”

For information about adopting Popsicle, contact Donna Buck-Davis at 488-0516
Thanks ADN