Daughter’s I-40/75 save: mom’s new mending cat
“She called me, hysterical and crying, and said she saw someone throw a kitten from a car onto the Interstate,” said her mother, Tammy Hudson, who also lives in Loudon County. “She said she saw it fly through the air, then bounce as it landed. She had to swerve to keep from hitting it.”
The incident happened near the Interstate 40/75 westbound Watt Road exit, Tammy recalled.
“Abbey saw right where it happened, and she turned around to see if she could save it. I was scared to know she was stopping her car on the Interstate, but she was able to find him, even thought it was almost dark.
“It was just past the shoulder, and he was hunkered up by the concrete.”
Abbey managed to save the smoke-colored male kitten, although he was badly injured.
“She knew I helped raise a lot of animals, and I used to work (with big cats) for the Zoo (Knoxville), so she brought him to me,” Tammy said. “Plus, she has two young sons in an apartment, and knew she couldn’t do much to keep (the cat) settled.”
Tammy and her husband, Stephen, evaluated the kitten and took him the next morning to Animal Emergency and Specialty Center of Knoxville near Pellissippi Parkway.
The first assessment of the cat they ultimately decided to keep and name Pixel (a nod to Tammy’s profession as a photographer) showed he had a badly broken back leg, along with cuts and scrapes. Part of a tooth had been broken in the fall, and Tammy said part of his lip was ripped off, as were a couple of his paw pads.
“It was just a good thing Abbey saw him when she did,” Tammy added. “Poor little guy — who ever would do such a thing? It just breaks my heart. He obviously had been in a house because he wasn’t scared to come into ours.
“He’s loving and playful and snuggles. He’s just the sweetest thing.”
Initially, the vet recommended amputating Pixel’s damaged leg, and in the meantime sent home antibiotics and pain medication.
Tammy also took Pixel to her regular vet in Anderson County for evaluation — and got the same assessment.
But Tammy said she felt that might not be the right course of action.
“I prayed and prayed about it, especially after I saw how tough he was and how well he was doing, trying to jump and moving around,” Tammy said. “The day they were supposed to amputate, it just didn’t feel right, and I called them and asked them to re-evaluate.
“The vet agreed and said she would not take the leg off unless it was completely necessary. So, we got him a good splint, and its bandaged up to help try to save his leg.”
Ironically, Tammy and Stephen already had a three-legged rescue cat named Puff.
“Puff took right to Pixel. It’s like he knew they had that shared bond,” Tammy said.
Now the family is praying Pixel’s leg will heal well enough not to be amputated.
Doctors estimated Pixel was about 9 weeks old when he was found.
Sadly, when Abbey passed that same spot on the Interstate a day later, she saw two other kittens who weren’t as lucky as Pixel, passing away after likely being thrown from the same car by the same individual(s).
“Thank goodness for Pixel, though,” Tammy said. “He’s got a lot of will to live and is a strong little guy.”
The family also has started a gofund me at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-pixel-with-his-operation. Bills so far have tallied more than $1,000.
