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Animal rescuer jumps into action to save a cat from the bitter cold in McKeesport

Cat rescued after nearly freezing to death in McKeesport
Cat rescued after nearly freezing to death in McKeesport 03:01

MCKEESPORT (KDKA) -- A cat is recovering and staying warm after she nearly froze to death in McKeesport during the dangerous cold stretch of weather in the region. 

An animal rescue caring for the feline is hoping her story serves as a reminder that all felines, both pet and feral, should never have to suffer in the frigid cold.

The poor kitty was found lying motionless on the snow in McKeesport in the bitter cold on Monday.

A caring person named Stacey Nebinski told KDKA she recorded the heartbreaking video of the tuxedo cat and posted it on her Facebook page and the lost and found pets page for the McKeesport area. She wrapped the cat in a towel and put it in a vehicle until her post reached the right people.

"She was definitely hypothermic...She was just lying in somebody's driveway. She had been on somebody else's porch," said Carly Toth, cat coordinator for Pet Friends, a nonprofit animal rescue in Irwin.

Toth said another rescuer named Trish Cole went to help the cat and called Toth to see if she could assist. Toth rushed the feline to Barnes Lake Veterinary Center in North Huntingdon.

"Her temperature would not register on a thermometer for about two hours. According to the vet, another 30 minutes, maybe an hour, and she would not have come back from it. So, she was as far gone as you can get, and don't come back," Toth said.

Toth said it appears the cat had an injury with an infection on her back legs, which slowed her down in the dangerous elements. 

"The cold just got to her because it's just frigid. So, she can't survive that. And she's very underweight. She definitely has some kind of infection back there. Maybe some frostbite on top of it. It's hard to know, but just thankful that we got her when we did," she said.

Toth stayed by the cat's side for around four hours, until the veterinarians and staff got her temperature to where it needed to be.

She said it's amazing what the community will do for animals in need -- including vets, other rescues, and community members. People who don't even know Toth or her rescue, Pet Friends, made donations to help the black kitty with white paws now named Birthday. 

"Trish, who brought her to me, it was her birthday, and I just figured it's the first day of the rest of her life, so why not start over," said Toth.

They learned Birthday was living outside for weeks, and she's about a year and a half old.

Birthday is feeling a lot better. She's cozy and warm, meowing and making biscuits, and living the good life at Toth's home as she recovers.

"She's doing really well. She's hungry. She's in a lot of pain, which is sad, but she's on pain meds. So that'll help. And it's possible she could lose one of those back legs," Toth said.

"Honestly, when I took her in there yesterday, I didn't think I was walking out with an animal. I really didn't.  But as soon as she perked up, I was like, she's a fighter. She's going to make it," she added.

Birthday is one lucky kitty with a few of her nine lives left.

Toth said the sweet cat's story is an urgent reminder to keep pet cats inside year-round, whether they are outdoor cats or not, and get pet cats fixed.

She said people should also give community cats a place to get warm during the cold months too — like putting up a warm homeless cat shelter, a Rubbermaid container box with straw, or just let them sneak into your garage.

"Everybody always wants someone to do something. And you are someone. Take the animal in, and put them in a bathroom. Even get them in your garage. The garage is warmer than outside. You know, she's laying, put her in a box with a towel or a blanket, you know, so she's not laying directly on the snow like she was," Toth said.

If you find a cat in danger in the cold — Toth said the first thing you should do is get the kitty out of the cold and wind, slowly warm them up, post on lost and found Facebook pages and call animal rescues in your area. She said you can also take the cat straight to a vet's office.

Earlier in the day before Birthday's rescue, Toth and Cole were busy trapping several community cats who will be spayed or neutered and they are going to keep them warm inside until the cold weather breaks.

You can help the Pet Friends rescue continue their mission to help cats like Birthday by donating or sending needed items from Amazon. 

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