A Cleveland veterinarian recognized for his selfless contributions to local animals is gaining the support of his community after he was beaten and robbed in his clinic on Oct. 17.

During the robbery and physical attack reportedly carried out by three assailants, Mel Kress, 52, was struck with a baseball bat, according to a police report obtained by Fox 8 News in Cleveland. He was hospitalized afterward with a brain injury.

Money and veterinary drugs were reportedly missing after the robbery, but the 38 cats Kress kept housed in the clinic were unharmed.

Kress has for years cared for stray cats in the area and maintained reduced fees at A Snip In Time spay and neuter clinic for his low-income clients, said Fox 8 News.

Bonnie Kajganich, who works at Love-A-Stray Animal Rescue located in the area, told the news station that Kress was the first veterinarian in the area to offer low-cost spay and neuter services in the area.

He often donated his services in order to reduce the size of the local stray population, which meant he sometimes didn’t collect much income, Kajganich said.

Kress was still in the hospital listed in fair condition as of Oct. 31, according to Cleveland.com.

Love-A-Stray Animal Rescue has established a website where people can donate to help Kress finance his recovery and avoid potentially losing his clinic, which he also lives above, the news site said.

Visit the donation site hosted on ChipIn to learn how to donate.

People can also help by adopting the cats taken from Kress’ facility, which Love-A-Stray Animal Rescue has neutered and put up for adoption. Call 216-798-8910 for adoption information or to learn about helping by donating supplies or money for the cats.