Firefighters Save Frozen Cat Stuck To Icy Pond

NEWTON, N.H. (CBS) - Firefighters used warm water to rescue a cat that was found partially frozen to the ice on a New Hampshire pond.

The cat's front paws and tail were frozen to the ice on a pond at the corner of Jacobs Way and Heath Street, Fire Chief John Alcaidinho told WBZ-TV.

It took crews about 15 minutes for firefighters, using gallons of warm water, to melt off the ice and free the cat.

Firefighters carefully covered the cat so that it wouldn't panic while they worked warm water around its paws and tail, and chipped away at the ice, Alcaidinho said.

A concerned neighbor had called firefighters to Jacobs Way after seeing the cat on the icy pond.

The pond is used to provide water to the Fire Department during emergencies, fire officials said.

The extent of the cat's injuries or its condition was not immediately known. Alcaidinho said firefighters don't know how long the cat was stuck on the ice.

The cat, which was not wearing a collar and is believed to be feral, was first taken to a nearby veterinary hospital for evaluation, and then to The New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Stratham.

Anyone with information on the cat is asked to call the Newton, N.H. Police Department at 603-382-6774.

Newton is a small town on the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border.