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Officers Save Cat Stuck in Razor Wire

September 19, 2016

Tabby Was Dangling from His Tail at Business

SATURDAY, SEPT. 17, 2016 – A pair of Riverside County animal control officers rescued a cat stuck in barbed wire at a Riverside business Saturday morning.

Officers Mary Salazar and Jennifer Selter needed a ladder to reach the orange tabby that appeared to have razor wire embedded into part of its body. Somehow the cat had gotten stuck atop the sharp wiring, roughly eight feet off the ground, at a business in the 1900 block of Massachusetts Avenue.

A handful of local business employees came to the officers’ aid. Nearby workers provided a ladder and gave the officers the OK to clip away the razor wire. Once they reached the cat, one officer held the cat safely while the other cut away a section of the wire. One man also provided help snipping away the wiring. As they got a closer look, the razor wire appeared to be mostly embedded in the animal’s tail.

“When I arrived, he was just hanging from his tail,” Officer Salazar said. “When I saw that, I thought it was very bad. But as I got closer, I could see him looking at me.”

Initially she and her colleague thought that the animal could be severely suffering to the extent that it needed to be humanely euthanized. But Officer Salazar said the cat was able to occasionally stand partially on top of the fencing – the sections that were uncovered with razor wire. Plus, she said, she noticed one of his ears had been tipped, an indication that the cat had been altered. The ear tipping gave her the impression that the cat was an owned animal.

“At first we didn’t see a lot of hope for it,” she said. “It appeared to be struggling and in a lot of pain. Once he calmed down, he was actually very nice.”

Sumeet Bhanot watched as the officers tried to comfort the cat and save him. He was one of the concerned passersby that contacted Riverside County to assist the animal. He described the officers as compassionate.

“They were amazing, professional persons,” Mr. Bhanot said. “It was quite a commotion. But they were both heroes for the cat.”

When the cat was finally freed after about 30 minutes, Mr. Bhanot said everyone was relieved and some cheered the officers. Officer Salazar said she appreciated all the Good Samaritans helping her and her colleague – and their encouraging words.

“He is a good-looking cat,” Salazar said. “The veterinary services team really did a great job to help him pull through. It’s wonderful they were able to do what they were able to do for him.”