My late-to-work excuse: I saved a cat frozen to an Anchorage sidewalk
Alaska Dispatch
(video)
"Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans," goes an old saying coined in 1957 by cartoonist Allen Saunders but made famous by a John Lennon song. Life happened Tuesday morning as I drove to work along Arctic Boulevard in Anchorage, thinking of the day ahead -- calls to be made, deadlines to be met.
I was turning almost robotically onto 32nd Avenue, just a couple of blocks from the Alaska Dispatch News offices, when a furry black and white lump on the sidewalk caught my eye and jolted me from my morning routine.
At first glance, it looked like an opossum. Knowing enough about Alaska to understand that if it was an opossum it was really, really lost, I slowed, realizing that the animal was actually a cat. It was in a very unusual position, motionless, with its four paws and belly firmly planted on the ground.
Well, not on the ground -- to the ground. It appeared as if the cat simply froze while stalking something. Its legs were bent, its body tensed as though ready to pounce.
Coming to a stop, I could see the cat's head barely moving up and down, like a toddler fending off sleep, as it struggled to stay conscious. Traffic passed by. I wondered how many people saw the distressed animal and didn’t slow down to take a closer look.
Late to work, extremely allergic to cats -- even the sight of one can send me into an hours-long sneezing, wheezing, and coughing fit for which time is the only remedy -- and not a fan of feline aloofness, I realized life was nonetheless presenting me a situation that couldn't be ignored.
A blast of cold air hit me as I got out of my car and walked up to the cat. It was about 8:45 a.m. The temperature in Midtown Anchorage was in the single digits. As I got closer, I noticed that the cat was completely frozen to the ground. Each of its four paws, its belly and its tail were cemented to the sidewalk by a combination of the animal's urine and feces.
From the back of my car, I grabbed an Alaska Grown sweatshirt my mother had given me a few years ago and scooped the cat into it. The cat's fur and paws crackled like Velcro as they peeled from the frozen sidewalk.
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http://www.adn.com/article/20150310/my-late-work-excuse-i-saved-cat-frozen-anchorage-sidewalk
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I hate to think about all the human and animal suffering going on during this cold winter. 
Glad this person helped this poor sweet kitty.
You'd be in line for a raise after such behavior!
at one point, it was warmer there than in Chicago! 
a million times over. 
and don't mind the inconvenience that may occur. What a lucky cat!
