MSPCA-Angell Headquarters

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-7400
Email Us

Angell Animal Medical Centers – Boston

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-7282
angellquestions@angell.org
More Info

Angell West

293 Second Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451
(781) 902-8400
For on-site assistance (check-ins and pick-ups):
(339) 970-0790
angellquestions@angell.org
More Info

Angell at Essex

565 Maple Street, Danvers, MA 01923
(978) 304-4648
essex@angell.org
More Info

Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Boston

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-5055
More Info

Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Cape Cod

1577 Falmouth Road, Centerville, MA 02632
(508) 775-0940
More Info

Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Nevins Farm

400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844
(978) 687-7453
More Info

Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Northeast Animal Shelter

347 Highland Ave., Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-9888
More Info

Donate Now

Donate

More Ways to Donate

From an online gift to a charitable gift annuity, your contribution will have a significant impact in the lives of thousands of animals.

06
Jul

Cat Survives Seven Story Fall from Window, Lands at the MSPCA

Young “Hancock” Undergoes Surgery and is Now Ready to Leap into a New Home

BOSTON, July 6, 2018 – A young cat that MSPCA-Angell staffers have named “Hancock” is lucky to be alive after he plunged seven stories from the window of a Boston apartment building and sustained severe injuries to his legs, the organization announced today.

Hancock was rushed to the MSPCA’s 24-7 emergency hospital, Angell Animal Medical Center, by a good Samaritan who witnessed him fall from the building on Hudson Street in Boston.

“Hancock landed front-feet first and suffered severe carpal hyperextension injuries to both wrists, which means his ligaments tore away from the bones as a result of the impact,” said Dr. Emily Ulfelder, who is now overseeing his care.  “We immediately got him started on pain medicine while we determined the best course of treatment.”

X-rays later confirmed that, in addition to the hyperextension injuries, his left leg was broken and would require surgery to repair.

Andrea Bessler, a veterinary technician at the MSPCA’s adoption center clinic in Jamaica Plain, has been caring for Hancock during his now two-week stay at the MSPCA and has been won over by the young cat’s many charms.

“You’d never know this cat came to us so injured because he is so friendly.  As soon as he makes eye contact with you he rolls on his back for tummy rubs—which he never tires of,” she said.

Dr. Ulfelder performed the surgery on Hancock’s wrists on June 28.  “I repaired his fracture and placed what’s called an external fixator—a metal device attached to the outside of the limb to immobilize and safeguard the repair—to Hancock’s left leg, and that fixator will remain in place for about six weeks,” she said.

Hancock’s fracture will be x-rayed again in six weeks to determine if he is well enough to be placed for adoption, and the external fixator will be removed at that time.

Hancock’s Long Road to Recovery
The MSPCA is left wondering who in fact owned Hancock and just how he managed to fall from inside such a tall building.  “The good Samaritan who brought him to our hospital asked not to be identified but was able to describe what happened in relatively sharp detail,” said MSPCA adoption center associate director Anna Rafferty-Fore.

Hancock wore no identification tags and was not microchipped. He had also not been neutered.  “We took care of that, too,” said Ulfelder, who opted to neuter him while he was under anesthesia for the fracture repair.

“All we know for certain about Hancock is that he’s now alive and well and expected to make a full recovery, and we’re grateful for that,” said Rafferty-Fore.

Would-be adopters are encouraged to email adoption@mspca.org for more information about Hancock or visit him in person during open hours at the MSPCA-Angell’s Boston adoption center in Jamaica Plain.