Jack the Cat Dies From Wounds

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Jack the cat, the Norwegian Forest kitty that captured hearts across the country when he was found seven weeks after getting lost at JFK airport, died Sunday.

According to a statement made on his fan Facebook page, the 5-year-old feline was euthanized Sunday by a veterinarian.

“Jack had extensive wounds on the back of his body, and the wounds were unable to heal because his skin had deteriorated due to the malnutrition that occurred while he was lost … The vet compared his skin condition to having severe burns over 50-60 percent of his body,” the statement read.

“The vet was very clear that she had conferred with every possible doctor regarding options for Jack, but none of them left him with a substantial chance of survival and all of them involved him suffering.”

American Airlines said in a previous statement that they assumed responsibility for covering Jack’s veterinary and medical expenses after he was found on October 26, nearly two months after becoming lost when Pascoe was traveling from New York to California.

While traveling, Pascoe dropped her two cats off in their kennels at baggage services and soon received a call from an American Airlines agent telling her that one of her cats was missing, and they believed he was in the inbound baggage claim area.

A Department of Transportation Pet Incident Report released Oct. 13 revealed exactly how Jack was lost. Each of Pascoe’s cats was in its own kennel, which a clerk stacked one on top of the other. The top kennel fell and Jack escaped.

The “Jack the Cat is Lost in AA Baggage at JFK” Facebook page has more than 23,000 followers and was frequently updated while he was missing — sometimes several times a day. Every post elicited dozens, sometimes hundreds, of comments from outraged and sympathetic supporters.