FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cat, dubbed “Tommy,” Undergoes Treatment for Third-Degree Burns at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic of Manchester
Tommy: Almost lost all 9 lives
May 23, 2014
(603) 628-3544
Journey Ewell, Board Co-President
(603) 540-7660
Cat Rescued from Car Engine Receives More Than 100 Stitches; On Road to Recovery
Cat, dubbed “Tommy,” Undergoes Treatment for Third-Degree Burns at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic of Manchester
MANCHESTER, N.H. (May 23, 2014)-A cat pulled from a car engine at the Wal-Mart parking lot in Manchester, has undergone 90 minutes of surgery and received more than 100 stitches at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic of Manchester. The cat, named “Tommy” by Manchester Animal Shelter volunteers, had severe third-degree burns from being trapped in the car engine for nearly three miles.
“So many people worked to save this cat—Manchester fire fighters, good Samaritans—it’s only right that we provide him with the very best veterinary care we can,” said Dr. Kevin Pascoe with the Veterinary Emergency Clinic of Manchester. “He’ll need several weeks of recovery, but in time, Tommy will be a healthy cat, not to mention a lucky one.”
Several good Samaritans attempted to pull the cat from the car engine last Saturday, after the driver heard the animal screaming. Finally three Manchester fire fighters were able to free him from where he was wedged in between a strut and the hot metal of the engine.
No owner has come forward, and the cat is now under the care of the Manchester Animal Shelter. According to staff “Tommy” is about three or four-years-old, declawed and neutered, which suggests that at one point he was someone’s pet.
“The Manchester Animal Shelter takes its no-kill policy very seriously,” said Journey Ewell, co-president of the shelter’s board of directors. “If we believe an animal has a strong chance of recovering and living a healthy life with a loving owner, we’ll do what it takes. And we’re deeply grateful for the support we receive from the Manchester community. We couldn’t save animals like Tommy without them.”
In 2010, the Manchester Animal Shelter established the Tonka Fund in order to provide emergency veterinary care for injured pets who are abandoned or are homeless. The fund is named after the severely abused pit bull, “Tonka,” who was found emaciated weighing only 26 lbs., suffering from urine scalding and sores with exposed bone. Tonka recovered after months of veterinary care, and was adopted into loving home.
Donations to support Tommy’s recovery can be made to the Tonka Fund at the Manchester Animal Shelter’s website,www.manchesteranimalshelter.org/tonka-fund/ or by calling the shelter at (603) 628-3544.
The Friends of Manchester Animal Shelter (FMAS) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides critical medical care, food, shelter, and comfort to the stray and homeless animals of Manchester, NH. Each year the shelter takes in approximately 1,700 cats and dogs, and provides them with the care they needed before adopting them to loving homes. Every dog and cat that comes to the Manchester Animal Shelter is inoculated against common diseases and then spayed or neutered to ensure that they will never again contribute to the overpopulation problem.
