SSPCA’s PETS Team

Rescues Cat ‘Birdie’,

Speared Through Eye

Staffer Showed How Trained Personnel

Can Respond In Emergency, Director Says

MARYLAND – Birdie the cat, stuck to a bird feeder with a wire piercing its eye, was rescued June 13 by the county’s new animal cruelty task force, PETS (Prevention, Education, Training and Systems), the SSPCA announced today.

It was feared the cat would have to be put down but, with care and treatment at the Hartwick Seminary shelter, it now seems Birdie will be fine.

“We are proud to work with first responders who care about animals, and on this day that was certainly the case,” said Stacie Haynes, SSPCA executive director.

“It would have been easy to end the cat’s life but, instead, a number of caring people jumped into action and saved the life of one very grateful cat,” she said.

Allison Hungerford said she “grabbed wire cutters, a towel and a crate, and ran out the door” after getting the go ahead from Haynes.

“When I arrived, the cat was very scared, in shock and clearly in pain,” described Hungerford, a veterinarian technician assistant at the SQSPCA. “The birdhouse had been wired to a pole and she was standing by the pole unable to move, with a wire stuck in her eye.”

Trooper David Schulte met Hungerford at the scene. He covered the cat with a towel and held her still while Hungerford cut the wire. Together they carefully placed the cat in a carrier and Hungerford transported her to Heritage Veterinary Clinic, which is just down the road from the shelter. Clinic staff were able to remove the wire successfully without causing trauma to the cat’s eye. They treated the cat with eye medication and antibiotics, and released her to the shelter later that afternoon.

The prognosis?

“She should be just fine,” Hungerford reported.

“Birdie,” as the cat has come to be called, is a stray as far as anyone knows. Trooper Schulte knocked on the doors of neighboring houses to help determine if she belonged to anyone, but to no avail.

Hungerford is pleased to report that Birdie, who she describes as “shy, but sweet,” is doing very well. She has been spayed, vaccinated, treated for fleas, microchipped and is now up for adoption.

“Birdie is such a good example of the happy endings the animals at the Susquehanna SPCA are part of. Too often we hear about sad and tragic stories of animals being treated inhumanely, but here we have an interesting example of community teamwork and a resilient cat,” Haynes said. “Now Birdie just needs to find her forever home!”

To learn more about the Susquehanna SPCA and to meet Birdie and other available animals, stop by the shelter Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. or visit www.sqspca.org. For more information on upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, call (607) 547-8111.