Cat rescued after freezing to manhole cover in Jonesborough

A cat found frozen to a manhole cover Saturday morning was rescued by first responders and is now recovering under veterinary care, according to officials. The Jonesborough Police Department received calls about the cat shortly before 9:30 a.m., according to Sgt. William Beagle. He said the Jonesborough Fire Department arrived within minutes. "On Nov. 29 at 09:30, we received a call for a cat frozen to a manhole," Beagle said. "When we arrived on scene, Jonesborough Police Department was on scene as well. The officer and a bystander were able to move the manhole to the grass with the cat still frozen to it." Beagle said firefighters used warm water to free the animal. "My crew was able to safely remove the cat from the manhole cover with some warm water, and transported it to the Jonesborough Animal Hospital," Beagle said. "The cat was left there for the Washington County Animal Shelter to take possession of. "The shelter also graciously took full responsibility for the cat, and has been accepting donations to cover any costs to help take care of it," he said. "We are beyond appreciative of the shelter for taking care of the cat in that situation." Washington County-Johnson City Animal Shelter Director Tammy Davis said the cat is recovering well. "It is currently under medical care at our spay and neuter clinic by our veterinarians," Davis said. "She's almost back to normal. She feels good, she's even a little bit spicy now. It appears that she's going to make a full recovery." Davis said the cat's injuries were primarily related to exposure. "It was just basically the fact that her temperature was so low," Davis said. Veterinarians plan to examine her paws for any damage from the cold. Davis said the cat's medium to long fur "probably helped protect her actual body." Davis said the incident highlights the need for caution for pets and animals during freezing temperatures. "This should be an eye opener or life lesson to remind people that when it's extremely cold outside, they need to be concerned about their outdoor pets," she said. "Bring them inside if possible. If you have community cats or animals outside, try to provide some type of shelter for them to get in, out of the elements." As of Friday, 34 donors had contributed $917 toward the cat's care. Staff expect to place her for adoption after she is medically cleared. Davis said donations will cover veterinary care at multiple clinics. "The donation money will be used to cover the medical costs at the first animal hospital she visited," Davis said. "Then it will cover whatever costs are here, including leukemia FIV testing, vaccinating the cat and getting it ready to be adopted. "Any remaining donations will go into a medical fund and be used for other animals in need with medical issues." Davis noted that no one has claimed the cat yet, and that she may have been living outdoors. "I'm thinking that she might be a feral cat that's always lived outside, so I don't know if she really belonged to anybody," Davis said. "She's extremely feisty now, so there's a possibility that she was an outdoor cat, but no one's come forward to claim her." To learn more or donate, please visit: https://give-usa.keela.co/donation-form-public-social-media.