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 . '' Profile : Mayor of Alaska village walks on four paws . Political career . The story of how Mayor Stubbs rose to power made international news after he was found in a box full of kittens in front of Nagley 's General Store in town . Lauri Stec , manager of the general store , decided to keep one kitten and named it `` Stubbs '' because he had no tail . Soon afterward , residents were n't happy with any of the human candidates in the upcoming mayoral election and voted for Stubbs as a write-in candidate . The kitten won , set up its unofficial mayor 's office in the general store and spent more than a decade running the town . Because the town of Talkeetna is a `` historical district , '' the mayoral post is more symbolic than functional , locals say . That distinction makes it easy for the community of about 800 human beings to be led by a feline . The weekend attack . Even though dogs run loose and outnumber people in Talkeetna , the canines seem to respect Stubbs ' authority , Todd Basilone , owner of Mountain High Pizza Pie told CNN last year . But at least one dog may have had a problem with him . Stubbs was strolling about the town Saturday night as he does every night , when an unleashed dog came running across the street and bit into him . `` He had a big gash on his side about 4-5 inches long and once we got him to the vet we found out the gash went down to his organs , '' said Stec . `` Right now is a crucial time cause he 's heavily sedated on pain meds . He 's in a lot of pain . '' Stubbs ' medical bills could top $ 2,000 , Stec said . And as the mayor fights for his life , there has been no word on the suspect . `` He is a large dog , '' Stec said . `` He 's a local dog . '' Cat runs for mayor in Mexico .
Cat has been mayor of Alaskan town for more than 15 years . `` He 's the mayor , it 's not a joke , '' local resident says . A dog mauled the mayor , a residents say .