Moorhead man rescues cat that nearly froze to death

A cat in Moorhead didn't end up having to use one of his 9 lives, that's because he was rescued today by a Moorhead man. On top of that, it was a simple twist of fate that brought the two together.

"You can tell by his ears they are all swelled up and red, and that's from the frostbite," says F-M Animal Hospital Veterinary Technician, Kathy Johnson.

This young cat is recovering. He doesn't have a name right now and no one knows where he came from. But veterinary technicians say he's fortunate to still be here, all thanks to the help of Luke Stevens.

"I picked him up and he kind of stuck to the ground a little bit," says Moorhead Man who rescued cat, Luke Stevens.

Stevens was heading to work like he normally does but decided to take a different route because of traffic on I-94. That's when he noticed something strange on the side of the road. So he pulled over to check it out.

"I was trying to convince myself it was trash or a clump of dirt or something but it looked kind of furry and had a silhouette of an animal," says Stevens.

Stevens says the cat was cold and it looked like his tail was injured. So he brought him to the F-M Animal Hospital. And that's where he sits now.

Veterinary Technician Kathy Johnson tells us they don't know how long he was out there but she says, much longer could have been the end.

"In the frigid temperatures we've had, it's just horrible for these guys," says Johnson.

And despite the heroic efforts of Stevens, the cat's not out of the woods yet. His ears have severe frostbite and they might have to be amputated. His tail has a break in it that might need to go too.

But despite all that, he's doing well.

Valley News Live: “If no one claims the cat within 5 days, you could have the cat. Would that be something you want?"

"We'll have to talk it over with the family. It was a really friendly cat," says Stevens.

He's hoping this story will help find the owners of the cat. And if not, he could have a new addition to his family.

This cat isn't the only feline that has had problems this winter. The vet tech we talked with tells us they've seen a lot of cats coming in with frostbite on their ears.