MTA officers shut down the power to a busy train line to rescue the cat. Photo / John DeBacker
MTA officers shut down the power to a busy train line to rescue the cat. Photo / John DeBacker
A cat lost one of its lives after it was hit by a train on Sunday but thanks to a passing engineer kept the other eight.
A passing train engineer in Long Island, New York, spotted a cat lying between tracks on Sunday and assumed it had died. He walkedby the same area later that night but this time saw its head move.
He called cat rescue expert John DeBacker, who contacted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s police department.
Three officers arrived at the scene and had the power switched off to the tracks so they could approach the cat.
“The cat was staring at us the entire time, we locked eyes with him. We wanted to make sure he didn’t run away,” Officer Vikki Machado said.
“He didn’t try to bite me at all. He was extremely affectionate once I picked him up,” DeBacker said.
The orange and white cat was dubbed “Garfield” because he resembled the lasagne-loving cartoon character.
South Shore Feral Care took in the cat for inspection and care.
The animal rescue shelter said in a Facebook post that Garfield was “fighting for his life” with a completely fractured front limb, a broken nose, and two dislocated hips,
Garfield has a complete fracture of the front limb, a broken nose and two fractured hips. Photo / John DeBacker
“Despite everything he has endured, Garfield is alert, responsive, and fighting.
