Alaska's most popular feline and Talkeetna's honorary mayor is on the mend after a dog mauled him Saturday.
Dr. Amy Lehman is treating Mayor Stubbs for a punctured lung, broken ribs and a fractured sternum. Lehman said he was able to get up and eat on his own Thursday.
"That's a huge prognostic indicator for kitty cats that are in the hospital," she said.
Before the attack, which some have called an assassination attempt, Talkeetna's honorary mayor was well-known to locals and tourists.
"I knew who he was when I got the call and so I knew who was coming, but I was never expecting this kind of circus to arise out of his being here," said Lehman. "But he's a cat, you know, so for me he's a patient and I'm treating him just like everybody else."
Lehman accredited Talkeetna veterinarian Jennifer Pironis of Golden Pond Veterinary Services with some of Stubbs' success. Pironis stabilized Stubbs before he was transported 61 miles to the Big Lake-Susitna Veterinarian Hospital in Wasilla for surgery.
Once Stubbs was admitted to Lehman's practice in Wasilla, his caretaker Lauri Stec was not allowed to see him. Due to his treatment, doctors said minimal stimulation was needed for recuperation.
"He sits in my office everyday while I'm typing on my computer and, you know, keeps me company. I miss him," Stec said. "We all miss him."
On Thursday, Stec was reunited with her cat for the first time in days.
Dr. Lehman said Stubbs will likely be able to return to Talkeetna by the end of next week, but he will be confined to "crate-rest" to avoid any additional injuries during the healing process.
"He's going to have to curb back the social lifestyle for a few weeks, at least a month and a half and we'll see how he's doing from that point on," said Dr. Lehman. "It's going to take a long time for him to heal."
Channel 2's Sarah Evans contributed to this story.
Contact Mallory Peebles