CLINTON COUNTY, Mich. — Last Tuesday, the Capital Area Humane Society received a call from Clinton County Animal Control regarding a cat in a leg trap. Her name is Kozue, and she has been on quite the journey until she is today.
“A citizen found the cat and was obviously very worried as soon as she saw it, that she was in terrible distress,” said CAHS President and CEO Julia Willson.
Clinton County Animal Control removed the leg trap. The jaws had descended to the tendon.
When CAHS got her, Willson said Kozue’s leg was clearly infected. They had to do emergency surgery to amputate the leg.
Although Kozue lost her leg, she was able to keep her life.
“It blows my mind how something so awful can happen to a sweet, gentle animal, and then they still struggle,” said CAHS Adoption Counselor Megan Roth.
Truly, it was Kozue’s tenacity and will to live that saved her.
“I’m just impressed with how she survived this terrible — you know, being trapped and having this amazing, sweet personality where she wants to cuddle up,” Roth said.
“She is very lucky to have been found in this condition,” Willson said. “A lot of animals with significant injuries like this will instinctively go into hiding for protection.”
Willson said he sees cases like Kozue’s about once a year.
“These traps cause significant injuries that put the lives of these animals at risk,” Willson said.
Part of the problem in this case is that the trap may not have been staked.
“It should have been staked,” said Michigan Department of Natural Resources official Kevin Bunce. “If you look at the chain itself, those are usually wired. You can see wires and so on, but a lot of people will stick them in the ground. That way the animal itself can’t move from one location to another.”
The other part of the problem is that the trap had no identification attached, which is also technically illegal.
“Depending on where the trap was set, it could have been set legally. It could have been placed in an area that was on private property or otherwise,” Bunce said. “He, at one point, may have had a tag, but in his current state…It’s kind of hard to build a case when you don’t have anyone interesting.”
Anyway, this story has a happy ending. Kozue returned home with Roth, her new mom, on Wednesday night.
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