“Tiki,” a 20-year-old blind cat, was rescued after falling into an icy Nabnasset Lake.
A 20-year-old blind cat named "Tiki" was rescued this week after he fell into an icy pond in Westford, Massachusetts, and this story is nothing short of a miracle from start to finish, according to the town's animal control.
Westford Animal Control says the police department received a panicked call Monday morning from a passerby who saw a cat floating on a piece of ice in the middle of Nabnasset Pond, about 30-40 feet from shore off of Fletcher Lane.
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"I was in the house for one minute and I looked out the slider and I was like what is that out on the water?" explained Dawn Felicani, who called in the emergency.
The cat was circling the small piece of ice below him, and Felicani told police that she could hear the ice cracking beneath him. The cat then fell in and was submerged in the frigid water with only his head showing.
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Just before officers arrived, two good Samaritans who were working at a nearby home on Fletcher Lane noticed what was happening and jumped into action.
"We commandeered the neighbors boat and took a shovel and paddled out to it," said Nate Puza, one of the rescuers.
"I don’t think it had too much longer, it was kind of floating by the time I got there but from what I hear he’s doing all right," he added.
According to animal control, Puza hopped into a rowboat and another man, identified as Kris S. pushed the boat out as far as he could, helping him navigate. Nate was able to pluck the cat from the water, and take him inside to towel him off and wrap him up in blankets.
Animal control says the cat was shivering, lethargic and in shock when they arrived on scene. The cat was immediately transported for veterinary care where his temperature was so low that it didn’t even register on the thermometer.
There was concern the cat might not make it, so animal control says it urgently began searching for his owners. Monday afternoon, a Birch Road resident reached out and said they thought it might be their cat Tiki, who had gotten out Sunday night or early Monday morning.
According to animal control, they believe Tiki may have been chased onto the ice by a predator Sunday night and then found himself stuck on the ice floating straight across the lake through the night.
Thankfully, Tiki is now home walking around like nothing ever happened, according to his owner.
"I’m so happy he’s alive, it’s amazing. He was underneath in that freezing cold day yesterday too and he’s 20!" Felicani said.
Animal control thanked Felicani for her compassion and immediate action when she saw the cat in distress, and gave a huge thank you to Puza and Kris, of Onyx Corp., for their quick action.
"I’ve had pets I think anybody who has would understand that its something that’s cherished," Puza told NBC10 Boston.
"There is no doubt that we would not have made it in time to save this old man," animal control said in their Facebook post.
