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Bumpus
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Me and My Cat
By Janine Adams There is no such thing as “just a cat.”
~Robert A. Heinlein The big, Maine–coon-type cat was found by firefighters on Father’s Day 1996, his long orange fur matted and scorched. He lay, barely alive, in the charred remains of the wildfires that plagued Alaska that year. Even though he must have been in great pain, the cat purred the moment he was touched. When the vet first saw the badly burned cat, he began to cry. He had never seen a living animal with such extensive injuries. The fire had claimed his rear feet and all his front toes. The vet was afraid this latest fire victim might not live long. But the cat was a survivor. Bumpus, as he came to be called, seemed unaware of the odds against him. Once he began to heal, Bumpus struggled persistently to learn to walk again. Eventually, to everyone’s astonishment, the cat succeeded. (Keep reading) | 