Like his movie namesake, Lt. Dan the cat has a broken body and spirit.
But with a little TLC and a lot of medicine, the feline could be back on all fours.
The mixed-breed adult cat was taken in by the Wood County Humane Society this weekend after he was
rescued from a feral colony in North Baltimore, according to Erin Moore, shelter manager.
“A good Samaritan managing a small colony of cats, found him injured,” Moore said.
It was originally thought that the cat had been abused, but Moore said that X-rays and an exam showed
that he was suffering from leg wounds.
“He has multiple puncture wounds on his legs, a pretty nasty infection, abscesses in the legs,” Moore
said. “We did determine he had no broken bones.”
His condition as of Thursday was still critical.
“It’s very guarded. What that means on a scale, it’s on the lower end of recovery,” she said. “He is
responding pretty well to treatment. … It’s kind of a wait and see.”
While they’re waiting, Lt. Dan is racking up medical bills for antibiotics and pain medicine. The humane
society has started a donation site from its Facebook page. Around $800 has been raised.
Moore said it’s difficult to see an animal suffer, but if it can be saved, the staff will do everything
it can, with the assistance of veterinarians and the public.
“We take everything case by case and day by day,” she said. “There’s not a black and white answer to
that.”
Holli Gray Luring brought Lt. Dan to the shelter.
The Bowling Green woman said that she received a call from her mother, who lives in North Baltimore,
about the injured cat.
Her mom had been feeding a colony of cats and noticed one that was limping a few weeks ago. She was
unable to capture him.
“When he came back, on Friday, he couldn’t even walk. It looked like someone harmed him on the right side
of his body,” Luring said. “When I went to the Wood County Humane Society, it was outstanding. They were
waiting for me. They got him into triage.”
Luring, a former North Baltimore resident, said there is a feral cat issue in the village. She said her
son found a kitten barely alive in the middle of the street a few years ago. Fatty was nursed back to
health and adopted by the family.
She’s also had a couple of wild cats spayed and neutered.
Luring hopes that Lt. Dan ends up being adopted and has a better life.
“And if he doesn’t make it, it’s not like he didn’t leave his mark on the world,” she said. “Sometimes it
takes these harsh things to bring awareness.”
Moore offered tips to people who are supporting feral cat colonies. She advised getting the animals
spayed or neutered to cut down on populations, fights and roaming.
“We have a great free roaming cat assistance program at the shelter,” she said.
As for Lt. Dan’s name, Moore said the staff always tries to be creative with naming the animals that come
into the shelter.
“Because he had basically no use of any legs, they jumped to the ‘Forrest Gump’ movie,” she said.