Mauled to Within an Inch of His Life by Either a Dog or a Coyote and Afterwards Cruelly Left to Suffer in the Bitter Cold and Deep Snow for More than a Month by the Lewis County Humane Society, Warden Not Only Perseveres but Now Has Hope for a Better Life

Warden Still Looks Haggard but, Mercifully, He Is Alive

 "He was running around a trailer park and one of the gentlemen there said he has these cats running around and this one was all tore up."

-- Nanci Cutler-Feist

Once The Fates have decided to deal a cat a losing hand in the great game of life, things usually do not improve for him. On the contrary, they normally only deteriorate. 

In that respect it is just too bad that a longhaired yellow and white tom named Warden was unable to have deciphered the handwriting on the wall. As a consequence, that inability, coupled with the undeniable reality that this world is an exceedingly dangerous place for members of his species, nearly ended up costing him his young life.

For all intents and purposes, his tragic story began in a wretched trailer park in Lowville, a town of fewer than five-thousand residents located forty-three kilometers southeast of Watertown in Lewis County in upstate New York. The nondescript town's one claim to fame is its manufacture of Kraft's cream cheese and cheese sticks.

The trailer park has not been publicly identified but it possibly could have been the Turks Mobile Home Park at 5900 River Road. That deduction is predicated on its being the only one to be found on the web that fits the description of such a facility in Lowville; the remainder of the listings are all campgrounds. Of course, it is entirely possible that the facility at which Warden was living does not have an online presence.

That which is not in doubt is that he was homeless and that in itself is a huge problem with the hundreds, if not indeed thousands, of cats that are abandoned each year at such facilities. Therefore, those individuals who perpetrate such horrific acts are richly deserving of their reputation as being "trailer park trash."

Press reports maintain that he was part of a "feral colony" but that seems unlikely. Rather, he probably was part of a clowder of homeless cats as opposed to being a bona fide member of a TNR colony with regular caretakers. It is difficult to tell from the slew of photographs and videos of him that have been subsequently posted online, but his right ear does not appear to have been tipped, which would be one indication that he had been sterilized and belonged to such a colony.

He most assuredly had been cruelly abandoned by either a past or present inhabitant of the park. Otherwise, he is the offspring of a cat who earlier had been forsaken by her owners.

It therefore seems logical to conclude that he had been pretty much on his own ever since birth. For food, he had been forced to rely upon mice, handouts from sympathetic residents, and whatever else that he was lucky enough to have found, including potable drinking water. Veterinary care was nonexistent and for shelter the best that he was able to have done for himself was to have crawled up underneath one of the units and that certainly was nothing to have written home about.

His total lack of shelter cannot in any way be underemphasized considering that Lowville is situated not all that far from Lake Ontario and therefore is a simply hellish place for a homeless cat to reside during the wintertime. Why, such a frigid environment would give even an Eskimo the shivers!

For instance, the average overnight temperature falls well below zero degrees Fahrenheit from early December until March. On top of all that grief, the area additionally receives around thirty inches of snow and ice each month during that period.

Warden's Injured Right Eye Appears to be Functioning

His age has not been divulged but based upon his size and lack of socialization it would seem likely that he had been on his own for at least a year or two if not indeed longer. His life was no doubt harsh but he was persevering as best he could until disaster struck.

In addition to the wholesale neglect, abuse, and abandonment that trailer park cats are routinely subjected to, attacks by dogs and, sometimes, coyotes are common and that is precisely what happened to Warden sometime last autumn when he was mauled to within an inch of his life. Most egregiously, his right eye was severely damaged and the left side of his throat was slashed.

His left front paw was mauled, he suffered numerous abrasions to both sides of his nose, and he may have sustained unspecified injuries to his mouth and teeth. He also appears to have received a nasty abrasion to the top of his head but that possibly could have resulted from him scratching at a minor injury.

There apparently were not any witnesses to the attack but Nanci Cutler-Feist of Theresa, fifty-three kilometers north of Lowville in Jefferson County and who later adopted him on February 6th, has a theory as to what happened. "The other cats, they're not hurt at all, so what I'm thinking he saved those cats and he protected those cats," she told WWNY-TV of Watertown on February 20th. (See "A Cat's Tale: Wounded Feral Feline Finds New Home.")

Whereas it is anyone's guess as to what transpired, her account of events seems unlikely. A considerably more plausible scenario is that Warden was ambushed in the open by a faster, larger, and stronger predator. Otherwise, he surely would have fled underneath either one of the trailers or up a tree, if one had been readily available. That theory is buttressed by the Turks Mobile Home Park being located on open ground and on an elevated plateau.

The extent of his injuries coupled with the fact that he survived would tend to implicate a medium-sized dog in the attack although a fisher, a raccoon, and possibly even a skunk cannot be entirely ruled out. On the other hand, if he had been caught on open ground by either a large dog or a coyote he surely would be long dead.

What transpired next is equally baffling. "He was running around a trailer park and one of the gentlemen there said he has these cats running around and this one was all tore up," Cutler-Feist elaborated to WWNY-TV.

Supposedly either that man or another resident of the trailer park eventually got around to telephoning the Lewis County Humane Society (LCHS) in Glenfield, a hamlet in Martinsburg County eleven kilometers southeast of Lowville. A representative of that rescue group did show up at the park but even then it took that individual an astounding month or longer in order to have successfully trapped Warden.

It is almost superfluous to point out but any rescue group that is so incompetent as to be unable to trap a half-dead and starving cat in the cold and snow does not have any business of even hanging out its shingle. Consequently, the LCHS's president, Cheryl Steiner, and everyone else involved in this totally inexcusable debacle should not only be fired but prosecuted for animal neglect and cruelty.

Warden in His New Home with Nanci Cutler-Feist

It is not known how that Warden was able to have gotten away from such a vicious and determined predator but suffice it to say that it is a miracle that he was able to have done so and that in turn makes the LCHS's total incompetence all the more disgraceful and intolerable. In particular, while its members were lounging by their blazing fires on their fat, worthless asses, cradling their snifters of brandy, and gorging themselves on their Christmas turkeys and puddings, Warden easily could have bled to death from the wound to his throat.

The punctures and other wounds that he received could have become infected and he easily could have lost the vision in his right eye. Furthermore, the damage that was done to his mouth sans doute made it difficult for him to even masticate whatever food that was available to him and therefore dramatically increased the odds that he would perish from starvation.

Left all alone and untreated to lick his numerous life-threatening wounds, he faced the dire prospects of either freezing to death or succumbing to another predator. He could not conceivably have been in anything other than excruciating pain and all hope of being rescued surely must have soon evaporated.

After the LCHS had belatedly gotten around to successfully trapping him it delivered him to the Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Lowville which is one of a handful of surgeries in the United States that still cater to both small and large animals. What exactly that the practitioners did for him has not detailed but at the very least they cleansed, sutured, and dressed his wounds and administered antibiotics and painkillers.

No mention has been made of any internal injuries that he may have suffered in the attack but that possibility remains a top concern. Coming as it did on the heels of his years of neglect and abuse, the attack has further scarred him psychologically.

Although not any timeline of events has been advanced, it would appear that the assault occurred in early December, if not indeed even earlier. An undetermined number of days then rolled off the calendar before anyone at the trailer park was able to have mustered the compassion in order to have telephoned the LCHS.

The trapping took a month or longer and Warden likely spent at least a week at Countryside. After that, he likely was incarcerated in a cage at the LCHS until Cutler-Feist ransomed his life off of death row on February 6th. That is all supposition, however. The time that Warden was forced to go without treatment while he was agonizing in pain could have been much lengthier.

It has not been divulged who footed Warden's initial veterinary bill and arranged for his adoption. If per chance it was the LCHS, it should not expect any thanks. After all, that was the absolute least that it owed him after so outrageously turning a deaf ear to his life and death struggle with the Grim Reaper for more than a month.

Although his right eye still has a considerable amount of healing to do, it appears that his vision in it has been saved. The tissue surrounding it may, however, require restorative surgery.

Warden Is Learning to Make Himself at Home...

The cut to his throat and the abrasions to his face and, possibly, elsewhere should all heal in due time. In recent videos posted of him online, the bandage has been removed from his left front paw and he appears to be walking pretty much normally.

Described by Cutler-Feist as a messy eater, he may have sustained unspecified damage to both his mouth and teeth that may need to be rectified by oral surgery. His long fur also appears to be somewhat unkempt and that is an indication that he needs to be brushed more frequently. (See Wardens Watch, not Warden's Watch, on Facebook for a ton of photographs and videos as well as to follow his recovery.)

"He looked really rough," she told WWNY-TV of her experience in meeting him for the first time. "He smelled a little bad and his injuries were much worse. He was very shy."

He is all cleaned up now and his sutures were removed on February 11th. Later on March 1st, he returned to Countryside in order to receive his inoculations.

Provided that Cutler-Feist is able to keep him away from dogs, coyotes, motorists, and all other feline predators, Warden's prognosis appears to be excellent. She may elect to confine him either indoors or to a fenced-in garden but after living outdoors for so many years in the cold and snow all the while being targeted by violent predators he may very well come to welcome such a change.

For her part, Cutler-Feist is nothing but optimistic. "It inspires me seeing how beat up he is and yet he still had the will to live," she told WWNY-TV.  "(It) inspires me because things can get pretty bad sometimes, but scars heal."

Although the process of socializing Warden has gotten off to a good start, it is nonetheless going to take a while and considerable patience. For instance, she is still experiencing difficulties getting him into a cage for follow-up trips to the vet and he still has a quite understandable tendency to occasionally take a swat at her.

"Warden is doing wonderful. He still scarfs down his food but (he) has slowed down on the amount," she recently disclosed on Facebook. "He seems to be getting over his swatting...He is super-lovable," she added February 10th on Facebook.

Cutler-Feist additionally is the proud owner of a beautiful large gray and white female named Chichi who arrived at her house as a rescue cat with anger issues. She is now, however, described as a snuggler. (See a February 9th video of her on Facebook.)

As soon as the socialization process with Warden has progressed a little bit more, her next job is going to be introducing him to Chichi. Since he is already accustomed to residing in a clowder, that should not be a problem.

...but He Is Still Experiencing Nightmares

In fact, he in all likelihood will welcome her companionship. The only real concern is who is going to be looking after him while Cutler-Feist is away at work during the day.

From the moment that he arrived in this violent and ailurophobic world up until the attack Warden's life amounted to little more than a living Hell on earth. All of that changed on February 6th, however, when he was adopted by Cutler-Feist. She certainly would appear to possess all the compassion, knowledgeability of cats, time, patience, and financial resources that have been previously so lacking in his young and troubled life. Under her care, he should be able to pick up the pieces of his shattered life and to make a go of things.

Her success in domesticating him is also one more example that all homeless cats can be socialized to one degree or the other. The operators of shelters, veterinarians, and Animal Control officers who persist in exterminating them en masse simply either hate cats or are too cheap and lazy in order to invest the time and resources that are required in order to get them ready for adoption.

"It was just meant to be from the moment I saw his picture. I'm just a sucker for a handsome guy," she summed up to WWNY-TV. "I love that I'm able to do this for him and we're in this together."

As it is the case with all true aficionados of the species, it is all about the welfare and happiness of her cats as far as Cutler-Feist is concerned. Regrettably, most individuals, professionals and amateurs alike, never will be able to get that straight.

Even though Warden's miraculous turnaround is indeed something to celebrate, this story neither began nor ends with him. There is still the unfinished business of the undisclosed number of cats that have been left behind at the trailer park.

Above all, they are still subject to the same deprivations and threats to their existence that nearly robbed Warden of his precious life. They therefore must not be forgotten and it is imperative that veterinary care and homes be secured for them before they succumb to either the bitter cold, starve to death, or are eaten by a dog or another predator.

The LCHS is, quite obviously, not about to do anything for them other than to trap and kill them. Consequently, asking that derelict organization for any assistance is totally out of the question.

By default, that leaves their fate solely in the hands of those cat-lovers who reside in and around Lowville. The best that therefore can be hoped for is that a handful of them will come forward and give the cats loving homes.

Doing so is going to entail a considerable amount of effort and a substantial expenditure of coin on their part but it is the only compassionate and morally acceptable remedy for their heartbreaking and desperate plight. It additionally would be one way for them to atone for their long-term neglect of them which ultimately led to Warden's interminable suffering.

Photos: Facebook (Warden in a cage, his injured eye, making himself at home, and sleeping) and WWNY-TV (Warden with Nanci Cutler-Feist).