"Miracle Cat" Lazarus Gives Gift of Life to Others

Lazarus the cat

This is the story of Lazarus, a miracle cat, who came back from the dead to save the lives of other cats.

Lazarus' beginning did not look very promising. In 2001, a feral mama cat and her three kittens--including Lazarus, took up residence in Helene Lachance's yard. Lachance is a compassionate cat person and she was feeding the homeless cats and getting them to trust her.

One night, Lachance heard some stray dogs barking and fighting. The next morning there was no sign of Lazarus and his family. She feared the worse.

Lazarus the Cat Rises from the Dead
Then amazingly, a couple days later, a scraggly, undernourished orange and white kitten appeared on her back porch. It was Lazarus! He weighed little more than a pound. Lachance immediately brought him to The Cat Clinic of Stillwater in Oklahoma, where she had once worked.

Lazarus as a kitten.

Lazarus' life was saved at the cat clinic. He thrived in his new, loving home.

The little kitten who "rose" from the dead, like the Bible story, was named Lazarus and became a valuable staff member of the feline-exclusive clinic.

"He is our blood donor in residence, first and foremost, "said Jessica Mayes, a nurse at the clinic. "When cats come in and we determine they need a transfusion, we cross match Laz's blood to theirs to see if it is a match."

The Cat Who Saves Lives

Numerous kitty patients who were severely ill are with us today because of Lazarus' work as a blood donor. For 10 years, he has given the gift of life to cats. Recently Lazarus gave new hope to an unspayed calico cat, named Missy.

"She had a litter of kittens, but wasn't nursing them. She was lethargic and her third eyelids weren't retracting. Her lab work showed marked anemia and very low platelets. We gave IV fluids, but since her prognosis was guarded, we recommended a transfusion," said Mayes. "Laz turned out to be a match. After receiving the transfusion, her condition improved and she was spayed the following week." 

Lazarus Has Other Special Duties at the Cat Clinic
Lazarus has a number of other essential jobs at the clinic:

He spends a lot of time lounging around and supervising...

Lazarus enjoys supervising the staff.

Lazarus tests products for his bosses: Dr. Annette K. Cowell who started the clinic and Dr. Sarah Peakheart.

He tries out new toys, treats, and various cat accessories including these Power Paws cat booties that Dr. Cowell got from a conference. They are designed to help pets with mobility issues, or pets who just have a hard time on slick floors, move around better.

I have...

important...

responsibilities at...

The Cat Clinic of Stillwater...

but sometimes...

I like to...

take my shoes off...

and relax on the job. Don't you?

Lazarus trains new nurses by letting them practice restraining him for venipuncture; giving him pills (with empty capsules), and other skills. He also demonstrates pill administration to clients.

Lazarus gets a shot.

Lazarus is the model for information sheets that the clinic's veterinarians provide patients.

Here Lazarus demonstrates that cats with pica
sometimes eat cat litter. 

Lazarus is a very special cat who came back from the dead so that others might thrive.

SPECIAL: Co-Worker Jessica Mayes Shares

MORE ABOUT LAZ 

One of Laz's favorite places to hang out.

What He Does On His Days Off
Lazarus is a feisty kitty who enjoys playtime on his days off.

Oddly, he loves cat carriers and if we have one open, he will run inside it and just hang out in there until we either make him get out or he hears someone rattling the dry food. He likes to knock over trash cans and hide in them. We have to keep the bathroom door closed, or he will go in and dump the trash out or "investigate" the toilet. He has a toy that he loves, a pole with a squeaky mouse-type thing on a string, and he sometimes goes nuts over that. He also loves his catnip mice.

Favorite Foods
Lazarus really likes Kitty Kaviar and the Cat-Man-Doo bonito flakes. Sometimes if I want to give him something extra-special, I put down a teaspoon or two of tuna for him. He prefers dry food to canned, but we mostly feed him canned food so we can control his weight. He loves the hypoallergenic pea and venison dry food, but he will come running for anything in kibble form.

Lazarus in charge.

Lazarus Tweets
Lazarus has his own twitter account at ACatNamedLaz. He follows cats, dogs, animal rescue organizations, vet clinics, and most people who follow him, he will follow back. He also tweets about important vet or cat related info, including pet food recalls and various health topics.

Some of his more "famous" twitter cat pals include TinyPearlCat, ShaynaCat, Crazy_Felix, and RosieandCheeto.

The Clinic Where Lazarus Works

The Cat Clinic of Stillwater was designed with the cat in mind. The building itself and all the equipment, medicines, and supplies are tailored specifically for felines. The clinic provide diagnostics, wellness and preventive care, surgery, dentistry, nutrition and behavioral counseling, radiology, and lab testing in-house. The doctors and staff are all cat lovers and have chosen to specialize in feline medicine and care.