Freddy Grant was walking on Route 202 in Peterborough Wednesday, Sept. 14, when he was hit by a car and severely injured.
Thanks to an experienced emergency responder being in the right place at the right time, Freddy was rushed to the hospital and is in stable condition.
Freddy is Lillian Grant’s cat, a 3-year-old rescue and a favorite of her late husband Jim.
“He shouldn’t have been on Route 202; he never goes over there,” she said. “Something must have chased him.”
The accident occurred at about 9:30 p.m. in front of the TD Bank just south of Route 101.
The person in the right place at the right time? Nathan Grant, Lillian’s son and a firefighter.
“I saw the cat in the road and thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s my mom’s cat!’,” he said.
He said he remembered from his emergency medical training that you can perform CPR on a baby with the nose and mouth at once, and gave it a try on the cat.
“I could fit the cat’s whole mouth and nose in my mouth and performed rescue breathing for 45 minutes at the way to Westminster, Massachusetts,” he said.
The mouth-to-mouth saved Freddy’s life.
He was treated in the 24-hour emergency center at Wachusett Animal Hospital. He suffered “bruises on his belly, a broken tail, and cuts – he must have been attacked – and cuts on his legs and neck,” said Lillian.
He needed stitches but was expected to be home today, Sept. 20.
“He’s coming home,” said Nathan.
He said he cannot believe someone would just hit a cat and not stop to check if it is all right or find the owner.
“My mom was devastated,” he said. “It’s like her boy.”
The Grants picked out Freddy at the Swanzey Humane Society two years ago.
“Jimmy loved him,” Lillian said.
She acknowledges that traffic and predators are a part of the risk of letting a pet stay outside.
“Surely he won’t be an outdoor cat anymore,” she said.