Heroines rescue 'Hero'

Donations pour in to pay vet bills

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Two New Ulm women recently came to the rescue of a cat that narrowly escaped death at least a couple times.

Brown County Humane Society volunteers Jill Tostenrud and Sue Guggisberg and generous contributions of area citizens are the reason Hero, a young tabby cat, is still alive.

Tostenrud, who owns a pet grooming service in New Ulm, received a call from the mother of a 21-year-old man who held the small, stray cat down while trying to coax his collie into killing it.

The cat bit the young man, in an attempt to escape, according to Tostenrud.

"The mother of the man called me, asking if we could quarantine the cat for 10 days," Tostenrud said.

The cat was picked up by the Brown County Sheriff's Department and taken to a Springfield veterinarian. Because the cat bit the man, it was going to be euthanized and tested for rabies, Tostenrud said.

When Tostenrud got the cat, it was covered with blood. She gave it antibiotics, but the treatment didn't seem to help.

"He kept trying to relieve himself, but he couldn't," Tostenrud said. "He would strain himself so hard, he'd fall over. His body was filling with toxin."

In attempt to save the cat's life, Tostenrud and Guggisberg drove the animal to the University of Minnesota veterinary clinic. During emergency surgery a BB pellet was removed from its urinary tract.

Tostenrud took some angry calls from people who questioned why she spent so much money to save the cat.

"People need to understand that Sue and I are animal lovers and that the Humane Society didn't pay for the cat's surgery. We did," Tostenrud said. "We don't get many abused animals. I still believe most people are good and want to help us."

She received a donation from two Madelia girls who sold lemonade and turned over the money to her.

"It brought me to tears. What a great thing to teach your children," Tostenrud said. "We've gotten overwhelming support."

No charges were filed against the person believed to have abused Hero. Three years ago, Minnesota's animal cruelty laws were toughened, making it a felony to kill or cause severe bodily harm to a pet. The laws were created due to a link between animal and human cruelty.

Hero recovered. The women have accepted donations to pay for their expenses that came to nearly $2,500. Donations have nearly covered the expenses.

Fritz Busch can be reached at at fbusch@nujournal.com