Adam Faatz, a military veteran and recent conqueror of Mount Kilimanjaro, demonstrated his compassion for animals as he rescued a nearly frozen cat in Harriman State Park. Faatz, a Hawthorne native residing in Highland Lakes, encountered Sawyer, a 2-year-old cat, during his work as an endangered species specialist. The feline was discovered in Harriman State Park in New York, where temperatures had dropped below 20 degrees, leaving Sawyer emaciated, weak, and on the brink of freezing.
Faatz, moved by the cat’s condition, made the ethical decision to save Sawyer. The military veteran and his team were documenting raptor nests when they found the fragile feline. Despite the harsh weather conditions, Faatz scooped up Sawyer, who responded with immediate purring and meowing.
Choosing not to leave the cat to perish in the cold, Faatz carried Sawyer in his jacket during a 3-mile hike back to his car. Subsequently, he transported the rescued cat to Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge in Oakland. The veterinary assessment revealed that Sawyer tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus and was suffering from malnutrition.
Under the care of medical staff at the animal refuge, Sawyer is on the path to recovery and is now available for adoption. Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge is accepting donations to contribute to Sawyer’s medical expenses.
Reflecting on the rescue, Faatz shared, “I was inspired to help Sawyer honestly just because it felt like the right thing to do. I refused to let him freeze to death, or slowly suffer. I knew he had a chance. Because he was looking at me, meowing, and I could just see he had a fight in him. I’m not a religious man, but something or someone put him in those woods for me to find him.”
