Frostbite Took A Lot From This Cat, But It Didn't Take Her Spirit

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A two-year-old "miracle cat" named Chai got a second chance at life.

Someone delivered the stray cat to the Animal Humane Society, who had been exposed to sub-zero temperatures.

Dr. Graham Brayshaw said it is a miracle she survived.

"We see frostbite quite a bit, but she had a really extreme case of it," Brayshaw said.

That frostbite was so severe that Chai lost her ears, all of her tail and half of her hind legs.

"The tips of both her back feet were dead, and there was damage all the way up most of the way up her back legs," Brayshaw said.

Chai survived the surgery she needed, but that was only half the battle. After the pain and healing, Chai had to learn to walk again.

"Over a period of weeks to months, she really got back to it. She was playful and happy and running around by the end of it," Brayshaw said. "[Chai has] been living successfully in a home ever since then."

American Humane Society employee Kelly Anderson took Chai as a foster pet, then fell in love and decided to keep her -- even though it was far from easy in the beginning.

"It's a lot to take on and it took her a long time to recover, probably about a month or so of learning how to re-use those limbs and come and get bandaged every week, which was a process," Anderson said. "But in the end, she did really well, which was amazing to see."

The Animal Humane Society is putting on their "Walk For Animals" event this Saturday at 10 a.m. in Golden Valley. Click here for more information, or call 800-542-9226.