This kitten definitely landed on its feet.
A ginger cat who lives in supportive housing in Midtown miraculously survived a fall from the third floor during an apartment fire last week.
Goldie the cat appeared to be trying to escape the flames by a window, but footage from the fire showed her plummeting to the sidewalk on West 43rd Street as firefighters reached out to rescue her.
The 6-year-old cat suffered a broken hip, deep scrapes and a torn lip, and has used up at least one of his nine lives. However, fortunately there were no fractures.
A local nonprofit, The Animal Project, is raising $1,500 for the cat's medical expenses through an online GoFundMe.
Tiff Winton, a Midtown resident and “self-motivated'' animal rescuer, said: “This man clearly loved cats and was very upset because he knew he didn't have the resources to get treatment.'' I felt sorry for him,” he said. The area also includes a bodega cat that was left in a shuttered deli for five weeks last summer.
“We expected a much worse injury,” said Diandra Koch, a veterinarian at Brilliant Veterinary Care, where Goldie is being treated. “He's kind of a miracle cat. . . . It's pretty unusual to have so few injuries from a fall from this height.”
On Sunday, Winton, who happened to be three blocks from the fire, received footage of a cat swooping down from a third-floor room in Times Square. Times Square has been renovated from the Grand Hotel and now provides stable housing for formerly homeless people.
After seeing the footage, Mr Winton said he “ran down” to the scene where firefighters were still trying to extinguish the fire.
Winton said the Midtown resident was escorted by firefighters to Goldie's owner, Elliott, who was in “complete shock” and “barely able to speak.”
“He reached out and handed me the cat, and he was crying and was like, 'I hope it's okay.'”
A fundraising campaign for Goldie has so far raised nearly $600, or 40% of the goal, which will be used to cover medical expenses such as sedatives, stitches, medication and ongoing treatment.
Winton said the remaining funds will be used for living expenses such as cat food, cat litter and collars.
Although Elliott was able to return to his apartment after the fire, he has not yet been reunited with Goldie, who is recovering at an Upper West Side clinic.
The owner doesn't even have a cell phone to contact the veterinarian treating his four-legged friend, but he's still grateful to the nonprofit for covering Goldie's recovery costs, Winton said. added.
The orange tabby cat has now been resting in a crate for two weeks and will stay in Hell's Kitchen with Wynton's teenage partner, Kim Corrigan, until Elliott brings her back in about a week.
“[Goldie is] There's a risk of infection, so we just want to make sure that if someone develops a problem while Goldie is in this recovery period, we can treat it properly,” said Kelly from The Animal Project. Mahoney said. The dog's beloved owner has been in a lot of trouble, but he told us that he is in 100% good condition. ”
“He's had Goldie since she was a kitten. He's very affectionate towards cats and he calls them his sons,” Winton added.
“Even on the night of the fire, when he handed it to us, he was like, 'Please, save my cat.' It was very sad. We hope to reunite them when he gets better.” is the right thing to do.”
