Here’s a happy story amidst all the sad stories coming out of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. A cat that was lost and injured in the Gatlinburg wildfires has captured the hearts of veterinarians at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center, and is being reunited with his owner.
The male orange tabby cat, named Topper, owned by Katrina Cannon, was lost when Cannon and her family were loading up the car last week to flee the fires that were quickly spreading through town. Topper was found and brought to the Sevier County Humane Society’s temporary animal shelter at the Sevier County Fairgrounds last Wednesday. Topper, another cat and one dog injured in the Gatlinburg wildfires have been taken to the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center for treatment.
Cannon saw a photo of Topper on the Sevier County Humane Society’s Facebook page on Tuesday and contacted them. After checking his information and microchip, they confirmed the cat was indeed Topper.
He is suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, with most of the damage to his feet.
From the Knoxville News Sentinel:
“Apparently from what I was told from the rescue group, the ones that found him, is that the house is completely gone, and they don’t know how anything survived,” said Cannon. “Yeah, they actually thought we were dead. They told the shelter that they assumed the owners were dead because of the sight of the house, so I don’t even know how he made it back to the site. I don’t know how he survived that.”
The other cat that was sent to UT was humanely euthanized. The dog was treated, returned to the fairgrounds and reunited with its owners.
The Sevier County Humane Society is incurring veterinary costs from the animals they are sending to UT.
