Massachusetts

Foxboro Man Says His Rescue Cat, Garfield, May Have Saved His Life

Thomas Williams, who is an amputee, says his 17-month-old rescue cat, Garfield, spent days hovering around his leg; after a nurse told him animals can sometimes detect infections, he sought medical attention and his doctor found a blood clot in his artery

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A Massachusetts man credits his cat with saving his leg and likely his life.

Garfield, a 17-month-old rescue cat, is bravely adjusting to his new life in Foxboro with his owner, 69-year-old Thomas Williams.

Williams says Garfield was severely abused by his previous owners.

He still remembers the day he took Garfield in.

"The woman that picked him up for me, she opened the top of the cat carrier, and he stuck his head out like a prairie dog," Williams said. "I said 'Oh my God, what a cutie he is!'"

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Through adoption, Garfield has gotten a second chance. And it wasn't long before the cat returned the favor.

"He just kept sniffing my legs, and I said, 'What's he doing?'" Williams said. "And he got under my wheelchair, and he kept taking his paw, just poking at me."

Williams, an amputee, says last month, Garfield spent days hovering around his leg.

"I called my visiting nurse, and she came out and she said, 'Animals can detect infections,'" he recalled.

After the sneaking suspicion, Williams says his doctor found a blood clot in his artery.

"If I didn't pay attention to what the cat was doing, I probably could have died," he said. "Because I had the infection with it."

He says he kept his leg and his life because of Garfield.

"Like a guardian angel from heaven," he said. "God put him in my life, and I'm glad he did."

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