Stubbs the Cat, honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, is in critical conditional after a weekend assassination attempt by a local dog, which was said to be a large one.

Allegedly, the unleashed canine went after Stubbs, as the mayor was prowling around town, which he does every night. The cat suffered a punctured lung, a broken sternum and a large wound on his side, though surgeons were able to remove his chest tube Tuesday. Stubbs is now breathing on his own, and might soon be back to sipping his customary catnip-laced water out of a wine glass beverage at Nagley’s General Store at noontime.

One may ask how Stubbs, named for his lack of a tail, became mayor. Roughly fifteen years ago, the citizens of Talkeetna weren’t very pleased with what the human candidates at the time had to offer, so Stubbs was jokingly added as a write-in candidate. Sure enough, Stubbs won, and was established as the honorary mayor, in the town of 800. Since Talkeetna is classified as a historical district, it’s okay to have cat mayors.

Here’s more on Stubbs’ rise to power:

Stubbs exists as sort of the totem animal of Talkeetna – Local pizza cook Ashley Kearns says, “It’s a shame. He’s the mayor, it’s not a joke. I know it’s ridiculous, but the town is run really well.” Lari Stec, general manager of Nagley’s, adds, “right now is a crucial time cause he’s heavily sedated on pain meds. He’s in a lot of pain.”

Townspeople have since launched a crowdfunding effort to cover Stubbs’ medical bills, which Stec says could be more than $2,000. Here’s hoping to Stubbs’ speedy recovery.

Image courtesy of YouTube.