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(Gray News) - A cat who got trapped in a pullout couch and his owners were recognized by Nationwide Insurance for having the most unusual pet insurance claim of the year.
Giles, a black cat named after a character on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” received the 15th Annual Hambone Award from Nationwide. He and his owners, Reid and Kaitlyn, got a trophy, a gift card and a donation to be made in Giles’ honor to a pet charity.
Giles was trapped in a pullout couch when Reid’s parents visited the couple’s New York City apartment overnight and forgot to check for the cat when they put the couch away, according to Nationwide.
“My stepmom said, ‘Something has happened, and we’re really sorry, but [Giles] got trapped under the couch.’ When they put the couch away, they didn’t realize that he was under there and … the mechanism bopped him in the face pretty good,” Reid said.
Giles’ owners rushed him to a veterinary hospital, where he received stitches but was otherwise OK.
“Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad. He did need some stitches … but he was the model patient, as he always is,” Reid said.
Giles now has a phobia of anything with a hinge on it, Reid added in a video about the incident.
The couple got pet insurance shortly after adopting Giles because he came down with an infection on Christmas Eve and his treatment cost thousands of dollars, according to Nationwide.
“We’re very grateful that [pet insurance] has been part of our lives because we’ve used it,” Reid said.
A public vote determined this year’s winner of the Hambone Award, which Nationwide says brings awareness to surprising pet injuries and how pet insurance can help owners.
The runners-up were Jax, a pug from Las Vegas who got heat stroke while under a comforter, and Sunny, a Labrador retriever from California who ate three phone charger cords.
