Dog mauls town's mayor -- Stubs the Cat

FAIRBANKS, Ak. -- He's a beloved mayor, who's held the top office in Talkeetna, Alaska, for 16 years. So imagine the townfolks' shock when he was attacked.

Brutally mauled.

By a dog.

Oh, did we mention, this mayor's a cat?

Mayor Stubbs, a yellow tabby with more responsibility than your average cat, survived -- but is in bad shape.

A punctured lung. A fractured sternum. A 5-inch gash on his side.

Doctors took out a chest tube Tuesday, and he was breathing on his own for the first time since the weekend attack.

"It's a shame," said Ashley Kearns, who works at a pizza shop in the small town about 110 miles north of Anchorage. "He's the mayor, it's not a joke. I know it's ridiculous, but the town is run really well."

For more on this CNN story, click here.