The Windsor-Essex County Humane Society is turning to the public for help after a cat was found abandoned along a county roadside.
The humane society received a call Wednesday from a concerned citizen about a cat found sitting along Trembley Sideroad in Essex.
An officer arrived and found the animal motionless, so it was taken to a veterinarian.
Humane Society Executive Director Melanie Coulter said it was so cold, the cat was convulsing and its internal organs were shutting down.
"Emergency care was initiated to raise her body temperature, and she continues to receive intensive veterinary treatment," said Coulter.
In addition, the cat had fur that was so tightly matted to its body that it was trapping urine and cat litter against the skin, a sign of potential neglect.
Coulter said the cat would have died if it was out in the open for a few more hours.
Coulter said the cat, now named Elsa, is recovering at the humane society and they are cautiously optimistic that she will recover fully.
Elsa is four years old and declawed. She is also overweight, weighing in at 18 lbs.
The humane society would like to talk to anyone with information on the cat's care, or who may have known who owned her, or left her abandoned. Anyone with information should call the humane society's cruelty investigations department at (519) 966-5751, ext. 16. Anonymous tips can be phoned in to Crime Stoppers at (519) 258-TIPS or submitted online.
