Frozen Cat Rescued From Shipping Container Gets Adopted

The story of a cat who became frozen to a shipping container has had a happy ending as he has now been adopted. The Animal Rescue League of Boston have reported that a new family has been found for the cat who they nicknamed Schooner. He was found a few days after Christmas was adopted only a few weeks later. This was a quick turnaround for a case that could have had a tragic end. Animal Control Officer Jayson Tracy came across Schooner in a shipping container that was located outside TGI Fridays in Dedham, Massachusetts. His fur had become frozen to the side of the container and there was no way for him to move. It is likely that the cat entered the container for some shelter. When Tracy came across the cat, it was quite a difficult process to remove him from the container without hurting him. He did not want to risk pulling the cats fur out, or even removing some skin. By proceeding carefully, the cat was rescued from the shelter without sustaining any injuries.

He was taken by Animal Control to the ARL Animal Care And Adoption Center which is also located in Dedham. The ARL will take care of animals that are bought to them and make sure they are healthy so that they are ready to be adopted. There is more information about this process on their website. The center will also provide a behavioral assessment of any animal in their care before they are ready to be adopted. No one was able to provide any information about how long Schooner has been inside the container. It had not been reported to Animal Control that he was stuck, the officer just happened to come across him. He had probably been there for at least one night but it is not something that anyone knows for sure. It is clear that the situation could have been much worse if the cat was not found when he was.

The shelter believed that Schooner became wet and because the temperatures were so cold, his fur froze to the side of the container. This case highlights the difficulties that animals living on the streets can face during the winter. The need for shelter and the fact that some animals may not have any sense of danger means that they can find themselves in situations that are not always safe. Patch reports that the ARL were surprised that Schooner did not have more serious injuries. It did appear as if he had been living on the streets for quite a while. He was thin and dehydrated and has the usual bruises that the shelter would expect to see in a stray cat. The most surprising thing was that the cat was not suffering from hypothermia. This could indicate that he had not spent a lot of time in the container before he was found.

He was named Schooner by the staff at the shelter and it soon became obvious that he was a very friendly cat. He adapted quickly to his new environment and the staff commented how easy going he was. He did not appear to be too traumatized by his experience in the container and his life on the streets before that. This gave the shelter confidence that Schooner could be re-homed when he had recovered without too many issues. They had numerous inquiries from the public who had been touched by the story of how he had been found in the container.

After he was rescued, Schooner spent some time at the ARL Animal Care And Adoption Center. There were some minor medical issues that needed to be dealt with before he could be adopted. The shelter were keen for him to put on some weight before he was adopted and this was something that happened quite easily. He also had a fractured tooth which needed to be removed. During his time at the shelter he was also neutered. Schooner did not have a microchip and there wasn’t any information available about his former owners and so the decision was made that he should be put up for adoption.

He had a big appetite and was eating well from the time that he first came to the shelter. It is well-known that stray cats find it more difficult to get access to food in the winter as the prey that they would normally eat decreases in number. Staff at the shelter were pleased to see that Schooner started to gain weight almost immediately. Fox 13 reported that he only weighed seven pounds when he was first found.

It is common practice for animals in rescue shelters to go and stay with a foster family once they have been nursed back to health at the shelter. This frees up space at the shelter for animals that have more urgent needs, and also helps to prepare the animal for living in a home environment. Schooner spent some time with a foster family before he was adopted but he did not have to spend long with this family. His adoption was able to be sorted out in a fairly short space of time. This was something that the shelter felt was important because they wanted Schooner to be settled in his new home as soon as possible after everything he had been through.

Schooner’s new owners have decided to remain anonymous and this is probably so they can get him settled in his new home without any media intrusion. The cat is only two years old and he has already been through a lot in his short life. However, Schooner now has the chance to spend the rest of his life with people who love him and will take good care of him. A lot of people have become invested in Schooner’s story and they are all glad that the story has had such a happy outcome.

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