Transit Workers Rescue Half-Blind Cat Trapped In Bronx Subway

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An otherwise dreadful situation was averted when a couple of transit workers saved a half-blind cat that was trapped in a Bronx subway. The cat was found stuck in a tunnel on Friday last week. According to the New York Daily News, the operators spotted the cat curled up on the tracks and immediately took action. The transit union officials and the workers hastily alerted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Managers of the white feline’s whereabouts. By the next day, an animal expert was brought in and set up human traps to try and catch the cat.

The pair of traps got set up at the northern end of the D line, which is an area with no public access and where the train operators turn the trains around. On Sunday at about 5:00 am, the animal experts returned to the set to check the traps and discovered the cat inside one of them. According to the Animal Rescue Site, while retrieving the cat from the trap, the animal experts noticed that it had only one eye and had a possibly missing eyeball which further aggravated the need to help it get treatment faster. The rescuers marveled at the fact that even with one eye, the cat had gotten used to his environment and never once fell off from a moving train. They noted, however, that it was understandable as to how the kitty had gotten there. They stated that since the subway tunnel usually has a lot of mice crawling around, they could see why it was attracted to the area.

Eric Loegel, who is a train operator and had helped the crew find the green-eyed cat, stated that the cute fuzzball had been thirsty and very hungry. After his rescue, the cat was taken to the Bronx Tails Cat Rescue Group’s facilities for some love and care. The group posted various photos and videos of the cat, that they’ve since named Big Al, to his Instagram page. The nonprofit group’s website states that they are volunteers dedicated to improving the lives of stray and feral cats in Harlem and the Bronx. The site further states that they perform Trap-Neuter Returns of feral and stray cats living in colonies around the area. The group also provides medical care for injured and sick feral cats, and even rescues friendly stray cats and places them up for adoption to forever homes.

The volunteers at the shelter are currently seeking donations to support Big Al in his journey towards recovery. The centre stated that they would need money for vet visits and to fix his eyesight. The group indicated that Al only had one functioning eye. The train operator expressed his enthusiasm for Big Al finding a good home with the rescue group and hopes that he will find a good forever home soon. Loegel stated that he was glad that the recovery was a smooth one. He stated that he didn’t witness any disruption of train services and didn’t hear of any cases of ether humans or animals getting hurt in the recovery process. He further added that he felt that way since he owned a special cat whom he named Baby.

Loegel concluded that he had rescued Baby when it was two months old from the Corona Train Yard in 2013 and had then decided to keep her as a pet. As for now, Big Al seems contented with having a clean and safe place to stay, a good meal and clean water to drink. If you would like to join in the cause to help nurse Big Al, you can make your donation to the Bronx Tails Cat Rescue Centre via PayPal or Venmo.

A Similar Animal Rescue

Two linemen in Georgia rescued three puppies after discovering them in a dumpster. According to 11 Alive, one of the linesmen had gone to fetch the materials from a nearby building. While returning to the truck, he noticed two of the puppies running towards the road. The linesmen began moving towards the timid and scared puppies. While the two of them tried to coax the two pups toward them, one man appeared with the other one held in his hand. The man had tried to remove the three dogs from the dumpster, and the two had slipped his fingers. He had caught the third pup after he enticed it with a can of Vienna sausages. The linesmen stated that after the three pups got placed in the track they immediately went to sleep and the men took them to the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia. The humane society stated in a Facebook post that the pups were covered in filth and their ribs were protruding out from their bloated bellies.

The post read, in part, that the puppies had gone through enough torture in their short lives. The director of the agency, Julie Edwards, stated that they examined the cats when they were brought in and concluded that aside from being hungry and skinny, they were in good health. Edwards added that they had some intestinal parasites and some worms but were otherwise healthy. The agency set up a donation site where everyone who felt compelled to help the three pups recover and feel safe could forward their donation. The rescuers stated that they rescued the dogs because they felt it was the right thing to do. The duo was praised by their company, Georgia Power, via Twitter for their act of kindness towards the three dogs. The agency also gave them a shout out and commended them for saving the dogs and giving them a second shot at life. Edwards stated that the puppies would be placed in adoption in about a week or so given that they don’t develop any medical complications until that time. The puppies were named after the linesman who spotted them by the road , David and Jennifer. The third one was called, Georgia after the company where the linesmen worked.