Mr. Sophie, an obviously tough, little cat survived a run in with a wild animal trap. After getting his front let caught in a trap most likely meant for a 30-40 lb. coyote, Mr. Sophie somehow managed to get back home. The sad part is that he lost his leg over the ordeal, but the great (and amazing) part is that Mr. Sophie is still alive.

Mr. Sophie came home with a two-pound leg hold trap clamped to his front paw.

The young, 10-month-old kitten, which weighs about seven pounds, went missing on a Saturday evening earlier this month and though Wayne and Deb Carpenter had not given up hope, Deb admits now that the prospects had been growing increasingly dim.

So when the cat poked its head above the front porch and let out a relieved “meow” that seemed to say, “I’m home,” Deb bent over to give Mr. Sophie a hug.

What she saw probably will stay with her for a long time.

The steel jaw bit into the kitten’s leg. The area around the trap was pink, hairless and raw and the smell from the gangrene that was settling in caused her to turn away.

Mr. Sophie let out a purr.

At first she could hardly believe what she saw. Even now when she considers that this small animal withstood the excruciating pain for three days, freed itself from the cable that tethered the trap to a tree and then dragged the steel contraption from who knows how far away back to her home, it is almost too much.

[…]

At first the doctors thought it might be possible to save Mr. Sophie’s leg. The steel clamp had done significant damage, and the wound had been uncared for for four days, but there was a slight bit of warmth detected, and they thought they would wait and see.

It became increasingly apparent that the leg would have to be amputated.

Deb and Wayne learned that the operation and care would cost about $1,400.

“What could we do?” Wayne asked innocently, sitting in his home this week. “To fight like that. How could we not give him every chance to live?”

Dr. Ron Svec, who did the operation, said he has seen a few animals survive a leg trap, but he has never seen so small an animal haul so large a trap and live to meow about it.

Read more about Mr. Sophie (including how he got his name).

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