Beach cat stabbed in burglary appears on CBS 'Early Show'

A cat that survived being stabbed three times during a burglary in Virginia Beach last week appeared on the CBS "Early Show" this morning.

Hershey meowed and squirmed during his segment as he appeared with his owners, who talked with show host Harry Smith.

“Happily, Hershey only used up one of his nine lives,” Smith quipped as the segment began.

He asked the family to explain how the 10-year-old Persian was found with a butcher knife through its midsection last Monday.

Joe Ciccone, Hershey’s owner, explained that the family believes four men ransacked their home, taking valuables and harming the cat.

“They tore it up,” Ciccone said. “They stabbed him three times and they shoved a butcher knife all the way through him.”

The family believes the burglars picked up one of the knives that Ciccone uses to make fudge.

The cat made a speedy recovery that surprised the veterinarian who cared for him. Hershey still had two drainage tubes attached to his body during this morning’s TV interview in New York, the family told Smith.

The cat’s personality was beginning to get back to normal, Ciccone said.

Smith craned his neck to get a closer look at the restless feline.

“That is a really cute face,” Smith said.

Veterinarian bills running into thousands of dollars have hurt the family financially, Ciccone told The Virginian-Pilot last week.

Police continue to investigate the crime and were asking anyone with information to call Virginia Beach Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (562-5887).

Additional rewards that total $3,000 are being offered by The Humane Society of the United States and the Virginia Beach society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Abbey Animal Hospital is collecting donations for the cat’s veterinary bills. Call (757) 471-1003 for information.

An account also has been set up in Hershey’s name with the Virginia Beach Schools Federal Credit Union.