Blind cat rescued from floating piece of ice on Massachusetts lake: "Nothing short of a miracle"
WESTFORD - Good Samaritans came to the rescue of a 20-year-old blind cat who was seen floating on a piece of ice in the middle of a Massachusetts lake on Monday.
A passerby spotted "Tiki" the black-and-white cat about 30-to-40 feet from the shores of Nabnasset Lake in Westford, the town's animal control wrote in a Facebook post. She said she "could hear the ice cracking" and saw the cat start to become submerged in water up to its head.
Good Samaritans rescue cat from icy lake
Westford Animal Control said two contractors named Nate and Kris who were working nearby saw what was happening on the icy lake. They found a rowboat and used a shovel to break through the ice and reach the cat, which they pulled from the water "moments before he surely would have succumbed to the frigid cold," animal control said.
The good Samartians brought the cat inside and wrapped him up in blankets. Animal control arrived to find him "shivering, lethargic and in shock."
"We immediately transported the cat for veterinary care where his temperature was so low that it didn't even register on the thermometer," animal control said.
Cat may have been chased by predator
Tiki's owner reached out to animal control to report that the cat may have gotten out of the house overnight. Animal control believes Tiki may have been chased onto the ice by a predator.
Tiki was "resting comfortably at home after his cold plunge" on Monday afternoon, animal control said.
"This story is nothing short of a miracle from start to finish," the agency said.
