On Saturday, January 2 at 9:15 a.m., during the snowstorm, Norfolk Animal Control Officer Hilary Cohen was dispatched on a report that a cat was in the snow and was either dying or dead. This was in the neighborhood of Main Street and Sweetland Farm.

At the time Cohen arrived on scene, area residents had picked up the cat and were keeping her in a blanket.

“On first response she appeared deceased,” Cohen said. “She was cold, stiff and unresponsive. When I picked her up I did hear an agonal cry/breath (but that sometimes also happens post mortem). This cat [was] emaciated,” and Cohen later learned she weighed only 3.25 pounds.

“I kept her in the blanket and put her on my lap in the cruiser and headed to the hospital,” Cohen said. “Once in the car I turned the heaters on and saw a whisker twitch. That was the real only sign of reflex I saw from her.”

The hospital had 5 minutes’ notice of Cohen’s arrival with the cat, and they had heat disks, hair dryers, and water bottles all ready in an attempt to revive and resuscitate her.

“Her vitals were all over the place,” Cohen said. “Her body temperature was only 86 degrees and that was after a fiveminute high-heat ride in my cruiser. Normal cat temperature is around 101. But she had a heart rate of 140, which is pretty strong. She hadn’t given up, so the decision was made to see if she had the will to live. At this point she was in a comatose state.

“After a few hours of heat, an IV line for fluids, blood tests, blood sugar monitoring, and steroids she came out of her coma state,” Cohen said. “Dr. Bulldock at Acorn Animal Hospital and the technical staff there worked miracles on this little cat.

“I brought her home for rehab - not in the shelter because she still needs heat therapy,” Cohen said. “She’s so skinny that her body has a hard time keeping her warm. Right now her calories are necessary for weight gain and recovery rather than body temperature. The first 24 hours she slept with only a few wakingmoments to eat and use the litter.”

Cohen said that as of late this week, the cat is up and walking, eating, drinking and appears to be on the road to recovery.

Thanks in part to an article in the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle, the cat - whose name is Annie - was reunited with her family. The family had just recently moved to Norfolk, and Annie had gotten out of the house within their first week here. Her family had in fact reported her missing in early December, and they had also contacted the new owners of their old house to be on the look out for her if she tried to walk her way back home (which was three towns away).

A follow-up check late this week showed that Annie had a buld-up of fluid in her abdomen, which was putting pressure on her lungs. Her fluids were tapped to alleviate discomfort and also for testing.

Annie is now back at home with her family enjoying quality time.

“I will keep everyone posted on the long term prognosis for Annie,” Cohen said. “In the meantime, I want to [say] how important it is for people to not leave their pets out unattended as this is what can happen.

“I find no fault with Annie’s owners. Annie snuck out during the move-in process. But people routinely allow their cats to roam. I understand that not all cats may be indoor pets. We have a few semi-ferals and ferals here at the farm so I get it.

“That being said, that is the exception, rather than the norm. Please keep your pets either supervised or restrained while outside. There are way too many ways that they could perish - mainly, accidents with cars/trains, wildlife predators, larger domestic animals, disease, environmental issues, etc.

Cohen said the national average lifespan for an indoor cat is 16 years, and that the national average lifespan for an indoor/ outdoor cat is 16 months.

Cohen added that anyone who seeks help with their pets is free to contact her for suggestions, by calling the Norfolk Police Department, (508) 440-2816.