VETS have hailed a ginger moggy as the luckiest cat in County Durham after he stunned everyone by recovering from horrific injuries suffered in a road accident that nearly cost him his life.
Garfield, a much-loved ginger cat owned by Claire and Gareth Robson from Crook, was rushed to Wilson Vets in Bishop Auckland in a critical condition after returning home in a terrible state, dragging a hind leg, with blood on his mouth and looking dazed and bedraggled.
After an examination and x-rays at the practice in Tenters Street, vets discovered the 10-year-old had suffered a catalogue of injuries, including a fractured and dislocated hind leg, fractured jaw and head trauma which caused temporary blindness.
Vets and veterinary nurses worked round the clock to save his life as he was seriously ill, but Garfield is now back home after thrilling everyone with his amazing recovery thanks to the care and skills of the Wilson Vets team.
Vets had no choice but to amputate his badly broken hind leg, but Garfield is now running around as if nothing had happened, his eyesight returned after recovering from his head injuries and his jaw was wired to repair the fracture. He is eating well after a feeding tube that was used initially was removed and he will return for further surgery later in July to remove the wire in his jaw which is healing well.
Vet Helen Brannan, who led the surgery on Garfield, said: “He is a much-loved pet, and his owners were committed to doing the best for him. We felt he had a good chance of making a full recovery because cats can manage really well on three legs.
“It was a real team effort from everyone, from when he first came into the practice to the great nursing care he received afterwards. Fortunately, there was no internal damage, but he did have a nasty head injury.
“He has been incredibly lucky as we see a lot of cats being struck by cares that are not as fortunate. He was a really good patient and a pleasure for everyone to treat so we’re delighted to see he is doing well.”
Claire and her husband have praised the veterinary team for saving the life of their cat, who they rescued as a kitten, and is one of three cats owned by the couple, following the traumatic incident.
He had returned to their home in Crook one morning in a terrible state and Claire admitted they feared the worst.
Claire said: “He likes to go out roaming at night and the next morning I found him and another of our cats on their favourite spot on a chair in the garden. Garfield very slowly got down and looked shellshocked and completely worn out. He walked into the house dragging his leg with blood on his mouth.
“When we were told about the extent of his injuries, I was worried if he would have a quality of life if we tried to save him, but the vets reassured us he would manage on three legs. He was up and down for a few days while in the hospital as he had been through a terrible trauma.
“Wilson Vets were amazing and all the team loved him. I was so upset but they were so calm and reassuring and said they would look after him. I’ve never gone through anything like this with a pet so to get that level of care was so comforting.”
Claire added: “When he came home a week later, he got out of the cat carrier as if nothing had happened. We kept him in a crate initially while he recovered, but he can now jump on the windowsill to sit in the sun and watch people go by. It’s an absolute miracle he’s made such a good recovery.”