Pub cat needed £4000 operation to survive attack - until miracle saved the day (original) (raw)
The owner of a cat almost “kicked” to death has described the miracle that brought him back from the brink. Sian Bevan first realised there was something wrong with her ginger moggy Marmalade on Saturday when he acted out of character.
Usually a sociable and high-energy cat, Marmalade appeared to be in pain and slunk away to be on his own when he came home that evening. After taking Marmalade to the vet it was discovered that he had suffered serious internal injuries, which could have been caused by a human kick.
Following veterinary advice that Marmalade would unlikely survive surgery, Sian said she agreed that the kindest decision would be to put him to sleep. A heartbroken Sian left the surgery to grieve for her beloved 17-month old cat, but was left in disbelief around 24 hours later when she received a phone call explaining that a “miracle” had saved his life.
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Describing the scene she was met with on Saturday, Sian - landlady at the Ancient Briton pub in Porthcawl - said: “Marmalade is very loved and it’s very well known that he belongs to the pub. He came in on Saturday and he went into a different room than we were in, which is very unusual for him for a start. It was almost although he was taking himself away, and then he started wailing. I went to see him and picked him up and thought: ‘Something is not right’.”
Sian said she put Marmalade on her bed so she could take a closer look at him and she could tell he was in a lot of pain. Although he had no exterior wounds and no bleeding she said he appeared to be dragging his legs and did not purr as he usually did.
Sian believes Marmalade was kicked (Image: Sian Bevan)
The 49-year-old said: “I thought his hips had gone and he wasn’t purring which is very unusual for him. Usually he purrs even when you just look at him, so I could tell something was really, really wrong.” For the latest Bridgend news, sign up to our newsletter here
As soon as she could Sian took Marmalade to the vet’s practice where it was observed that he had “blunt force trauma”. Sian said she believes it is highly likely that Marmalade was kicked.
She said: “The vet said that was more than likely what had happened. I’ve always had cats and dogs so I knew what to look out for, there were no [bone] breaks, no wounds on the body at all, it was all internal. A car isn't going to have done that to his underbody.”
Sian said the vet said they could do an X-ray, but felt it was too soon after the event to put Marmalade through one. She said he appeared to improve and that she took him home to have warmth and cuddles so she could assess whether his condition changed.
Sadly on Monday Marmalade took a turn for the worst and had to be taken back to the vet’s. Sian said: “On Monday afternoon my partner said: ‘I don’t like the look of his breathing’. His breathing looked very laboured, so we took him straight back to the vet’s and they scanned him. Even though he was quite lively, they said they found a mass. It turned out that his diaphragm was perforated in five or six different places where he had been kicked; the liver had come through the diaphragm. He wasn’t able to breathe because his lungs were so squashed, it was horrific.”
Marmalade was seriously unwell (Image: Sian Bevan)
Sian said surgery was the only option that could potentially save Marmalade’s life. Although Sian was prepared to pay the £4,000 bill to save the feline’s life, she was strongly advised to consider whether it was the most sensible option, since there was a high chance of complication.
She made the very painful decision that the kindest option would be to put Marmalade to sleep. Completely heartbroken, Sian left the surgery and made her way home to the pub to grieve. She said it was made even more upsetting when she noticed Marmalade’s best friend, pub dog Milo, was already showing signs of missing the cat.
But to her disbelief on Tuesday afternoon Sian received a phone call which changed everything. She explained: “I had been grieving the whole day until I got the call. They said they had operated last night and that he is responding really well.
“They said all the staff love him because he has become such a character and he is rolling around showing people his wound, wanting people to tickle his belly. They said they couldn’t check his lungs properly because he is purring so much - because he is so grateful to be alive I assume. They had even got him eating again.”
Milo missed his best friend (Image: Sian Bevan)
Sian said she could not believe what she was hearing and that it was all made possible by a charity that she had previously never heard of: Friends of Animals Wales.
She explained: “The vet contacted the charity after I left and told the charity his story. The charity said they were willing to contribute to the operation costs if I could eventually pay it back. They didn’t inform me of this [on Monday] because the operation was so high risk and it would be like grieving twice if I had gotten my hopes up for it not to have gone well.
“It meant everything to get that call. I love animals so much and Milo the dog has been completely lost without Marmalade - they are best friends.” Sian said she is very grateful to the vet and the charity, and that although Marmalade is not quite out of the woods yet he was well enough to come home on Tuesday evening.
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