Fluffy the cat was frozen frozen and probably a few minutes after death just a week ago.
Last Thursday, the cat went outside in the cold Montana air while her family was away, and in the process, she was injured and could not return to the warm home. While waiting for rescue in the yard, low temperatures quickly covered her body, covering her with thick layers of snow and ice.
Fluffy was motionless and practically frozen when her owners arrived home and discovered her later that day — but the cat has already made a miraculous recovery due to her quick-thinking family and the Animal Clinic of Kalispell.
Andrea Dutter, the clinic’s executive director, told The Dodo, “They didn’t hesitate to bring her directly here since they’ve always been fantastic pet parents.” “All hands were on deck. We had both physicians here, and they were blow-drying her and cycling in warm towels from the dryer while thawing the snow and ice off her with warm water.”
Fluffy’s body temperature was too low to register on the physicians’ thermometers, despite the fact that she had a heartbeat when she arrived at the clinic. It took about an hour for the cat to be able to move once she had been warmed up.
While it’s unknown what happened to Fluffy to cause her to be trapped outside, Dutter believes she may have been hurt by another animal. She has marks on her skin, but Dutter said the damage won’t have any long-term effects on her.
“She remained with us here for a few hours and then spent the night being watched at an emergency animal hospital,” Dutter added. “By the next morning, she was walking and doing well.”
Fluffy’s family has opted to limit her time outside after her terrifying near-death encounter. While she’ll miss exploring the yard, she’ll have lots of chances to spend time with her family as the weather heats up.
“Her owners are new to the neighborhood, and Fluffy was already an outdoor cat living in the backyard when they initially acquired their property,” Dutter stated. “She was well established out there at that time, but once they took care of her, she started living partially indoors.”
Fluffy is currently curled up in a warm bed with blankets at home, and given everything she’s gone through in the last week, she’ll probably want to stay there for a long.
