A Florida bobcat, who was injured in an accident in Temple Terrace on Thanksgiving night, has died.
- The bobcat was found injured alongside the road
- He had suffered multiple broken bones and injuries to his throat, lungs
- Doctors waited a week to operate; the cat died following surgery
The two-year-old bobcat, called Chief Spotted Eye, spent hours in surgery at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay Wednesday. He died shortly after.
"When he was presented to us, he was coughing up blood, he had air in his chest," said Big Cat Rescue Dr. Justin Boorstein. "I didn't think he was going to truly make it through the night."
The doctor waited a week before operating so that the bobcat's throat and lungs could heal from the accident.
"Honestly my heart was breaking, just because it looked so helpless," said 14-year-old Jenna Burgess.
On Thanksgiving night, Burgess saw the bobcat on the side of the road off of Temple Terrace Highway. She and her family called Big Cat Rescue for help. He suffered from serious injuries to his hip, pelvis and forearm.