Howard the combine kitty continuing to improve - Update

A 3-month-old kitten that survived having its front paws severed by farm machinery is continuing to improve, officials said.

Letters, cards and donations have flooded Ingham County Animal Control, said Director Jamie McAloon Lampman.



The agency already has received more than 300 letters and cards, and more come in daily, McAloon Lampman said today. A man in Onaway sent a card. There also have been a few inquiries from United Kingdom, she said.

The black-and-white male kitten, dubbed “Howard the Combine Kitty,” was found by two young boys near a farm field in Alaiedon Township, will eventually need some kind of prosthetics to replace both front paws, but he recently began standing up on his own and using his litter box, McAloon Lampman said. It is believed he was run over by a farm combine.



The two front paws are now bandaged stumps.

Howard has undergone two surgeries at Lansing Veterinary Medical Center. The care is being paid for by donations, which have totalled about $2,000. “The response has been just amazing,” she said. “A lot of wonderful, heartfelt letters.”

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