THOMASTON—The long-haired tuxedo cat was stumbling, falling down on the sidewalk when a gentleman found him this past week. He was filthy, emaciated, suffering from a respiratory illness and covered in fleas. The cat was near death, its rib bones protruding from his matted coat. He couldn’t stand up on his own, his front paws buckling.

“We’ve all got our fingers crossed with this one,” said Theresa Gargan, Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County’s shelter manager. “He’s just been out all winter starving. He’s an older cat on top of that.”

The shelter immediately put him in a warm environment and got him to take fluids and wet cat food. As soon as he’s a little more stabilized, they’ll treat him with medication to clear up the respiratory illness. “He’s been eating and handling the food well,” said Gargan. “But he’s still in critical condition. I think we’re looking at at least a month before he’s better and adoptable.” As Saint tries to eat, he seems to have trouble swallowing. He’s still too weak to step into the litter box, his front paws, still buckling, so they have to regularly change out the towels under him.

Gargan said they named him “Saint” as he has had the patience of a saint while administering care to him. One touch to his face and his misery seems to recede for a moment and he closes his eyes and responds to the nuzzle. “He’s affectionate for sure,” said Gargan. “He is neutered, so he was somebody’s pet at one time. We don’t know if he escaped or was pushed out, but he’s been barely surviving all winter on his own. At his age, he shouldn’t be outside at all.”

Ever since Saint’s photo was posted on the shelter’s Facebook page, the shelter has gotten a lot of response from the public. “People are sending good wishes, which is awesome,” she said. “And people have asked if they can donate anything to his care. As always, we can use wet cat food. The paté kind, that’s all he can ingest at this point.”

Penobscot Bay Pilot keep you posted on Saint’s progress.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com