A stray cat in Michigan was recently rescued after getting its paws stuck in the snow and ice. A local resident named Jenay Chartier was driving down a cul-de-sac in a new subdivision in Chesterfield Township, Michigan when she saw the feline. The cat had black fur, so at first, she thought it was a garbage bag. She threw her work truck in park to scope out the situation. She works as a soil erosion officer for Macomb County Public Works. The Detroit Free Press had the story first.
Apparently, she realized it was a cat before she even exited her vehicle. “Before I opened my door, I’m like ‘Oh, my God, it’s a cat! “Oh my God, and she’s like, like barely alive. … So I go and look at her and I was like ‘Oh, my God, she’s frozen.” The incident took place on February 3rd. She said 3 of the cat’s 4 paws were frozen and stuck.
Chartier said she put on some gloves, grabbed a few towels from her truck, and wrapped up the feline for warmth. The woman then used some water to dislodge the cat from the icy conditions. She said she felt bad about getting it wet, but was worried using something like a shovel would have further injured the animal.
Woman Plans To Keep Cat
She then wrapped the animal in extra coats in order to keep her warm and placed her in a milk crate. Chartier then put the milk crate in front of the vents on the floorboards of the passenger side of her ride. On her lunch break, she then went to Target and picked up some feline food. She debated taking a personal day from work to guy for the cat but continued to grind out it anyways with it in her car.
Chartier said her next move was to contact a friend who is a veterinarian. She recommended keeping the cat separated from her other pets until it could be examined. The following day, she took the animal in to be inspected by the vet. The cat was estimated to be about a year or two old. Despite some bald spots from where the ice pulled out her fur, the cat was in otherwise good condition. The cat did not have a microchip or a collar, which means the feline was likely a stray.
Since the feline has no apparent owners, Chartier plans on keeping her. For now, the cat is staying in a spare bedroom and slowly warming up to her new home. She also said she believes everything happens for a reason. The woman said she was supposed to be in Texas on the day she found the cat, but that trip was canceled. She said leaving the cat to freeze never crossed her mind.
“You can’t leave an animal there like that, no, not ever. Maybe it’s just meant to be. I just want her to have a great life,” she said.
