Tennessean.com
BARTLETT, Tenn. (AP) -- Tabitha Cain has fed a feral cat she calls Wild Oats for several years, but now she's thinking of changing its name to Survivor. That's because she says the Memphis-area cat survived for 19 days with a peanut butter jar stuck on its head.
"We tried to get her, but being the type of cat you can't catch, she kept running and hiding," said Doretha Cain, Tabitha's mother.
The family saw the cat several times and tried in vain to catch her. She disappeared for a week, and the Cains feared the worst.
"I thought she was going to die with that jar on her head," Tabitha Cain said.
They found the once chubby cat on Wednesday, too thin and weak to escape. They caught her with a fishing net and used some oil to get the jar off her head.
They gave her water and treated her wounds and on Friday she began to eat again.
"I've heard of cats having nine lives but I think this one has 19 because she survived 19 days," Doretha Cain said.
Memphis veterinarian Gerald Blackburn said he's heard similar stories of pets getting trapped for days or even weeks at a time and surviving. Blackburn said the cat may have lived off of its excess fat.
The family had called the Bartlett Animal Shelter for help, according to The Commercial Appeal in Memphis.
"We did set a trap," said Kim Scheu of the shelter division told the newspaper. "The cat never did go in the trap."
Scheu was pleased about the happy ending to the story, but told the newspaper that the whole affair could have been avoided.
"Apparently people are not disposing of their trash properly and that is one thing that is a serious problem," she said. "People need to understand that wildlife or any domestic animal will do something like that and it's dangerous."
There are bones, food and toxins in trash that can strangle or poison an animal, Scheu added.
BARTLETT, Tenn. (AP) -- Tabitha Cain has fed a feral cat she calls Wild Oats for several years, but now she's thinking of changing its name to Survivor. That's because she says the Memphis-area cat survived for 19 days with a peanut butter jar stuck on its head.
"We tried to get her, but being the type of cat you can't catch, she kept running and hiding," said Doretha Cain, Tabitha's mother.
The family saw the cat several times and tried in vain to catch her. She disappeared for a week, and the Cains feared the worst.
"I thought she was going to die with that jar on her head," Tabitha Cain said.
They found the once chubby cat on Wednesday, too thin and weak to escape. They caught her with a fishing net and used some oil to get the jar off her head.
They gave her water and treated her wounds and on Friday she began to eat again.
"I've heard of cats having nine lives but I think this one has 19 because she survived 19 days," Doretha Cain said.
Memphis veterinarian Gerald Blackburn said he's heard similar stories of pets getting trapped for days or even weeks at a time and surviving. Blackburn said the cat may have lived off of its excess fat.
The family had called the Bartlett Animal Shelter for help, according to The Commercial Appeal in Memphis.
"We did set a trap," said Kim Scheu of the shelter division told the newspaper. "The cat never did go in the trap."
Scheu was pleased about the happy ending to the story, but told the newspaper that the whole affair could have been avoided.
"Apparently people are not disposing of their trash properly and that is one thing that is a serious problem," she said. "People need to understand that wildlife or any domestic animal will do something like that and it's dangerous."
There are bones, food and toxins in trash that can strangle or poison an animal, Scheu added.
Glad it survived that, it's a miracle really! That's really close by where I live.
