Charlie recovers

Web Editor of Your Cat, James Buzzel came home on Sunday September 28th to find a note attached to our front door. “Urgent, please go to number 15…”

James takes up the story:

"Charlie, our one-year-old rescue cat, had been hit by a car. He was bleeding from the mouth and unable to move the bottom half of his body. The driver hadn’t stopped, but Charlie had a habit of sleeping under cars and therefore he/she might not have known what had happened. He had been found at 5.15pm and the emergency vet had already been called. My neighbour had been told to wait an hour and see if we’d be home by then… thankfully we were back by 5.40pm and saw the note.

Charlie was taken to the local veterinary centre, Burghley Vets and placed in an oxygen tank pending his x-rays. We left him at the surgery and had a phone call later that evening from the vet. Charlie had a broken jaw and a broken pelvis but nothing could be done until he came out of shock… we would have to wait for the morning to see if he pulled through.

The next day Charlie was more settled and could be put under general anaesthetic for a more detailed analysis of the damage. Initially the jaw had been of prime concern, but this was wired back together without complication. It was his pelvis that was more damaged than first thought – it was broken in three places and his back legs were basically detached from his spine. The vet also mentioned ‘tail pull’, where she believed the tail might have got caught under the tyre and Charlie had pulled away, yanking his entire body and doing severe damage to his nervous system. The tail had no feeling and Charlie had yet to urinate or pass bowel movements by himself.

I asked right then whether Charlie would make it and whether it was worth going through any major surgery if his nervous system was damaged. He was insured under Virgin for up to £3000 per condition and therefore any operation would have been covered. She advised that we waited 24 hours to give Charlie some time to pass urine by himself.

We actually gave Charlie 48 hours and in that time hope was raised and dashed. He was such an unusual case because he looked so bright and alert, plus was eating well. If he looked in pain or sickly, the choice would have been much easier – even the vets and nurses were puzzled. However, Charlie’s charm won them all over and their policy to give him time paid off… he began urinating in a litter area by himself, even if he was shuffling along the pen to get there!

The x-rays didn’t look good. A pelvis broken in three different places was going to be a hard injury to overcome. Burghley sent the scans to The Grove, a special animal orthopaedic and spinal referral centre in Norfolk. They believed Charlie was operable and therefore I drove him on October 2 to meet orthopaedic surgeon Gordon Brown. He explained that Charlie’s tail would need to be amputated as he had no feeling or movement in it.

Gordon operated on Charlie, inserting a screw into one of the pelvis cracks and leaving the other two to heal naturally. Charlie was monitored for several days and again the issue was whether he could pass bowel movements unaided. Thankfully he did (with laxative) and he would be able to come home the following Wednesday.

When I first saw him, it was a little shocking to see the fur on his back removed and stained blue! Gordon explained it was the antiseptic solution pre-operation and would disappear within a few weeks. Charlie was now hobbling, but shuffling one of his legs along the floor. He had feeling in this leg, but it was not functioning right… only time will tell if this leg heals correctly, but given that Charlie has responded so well to his treatment so far, I have every hope it will!

So, now with a total vet bill of £2600, Charlie’s treatment still continues. It reassures the message that pet insurance is so important, as without it Charlie would not be here. We’ve had to pay the bills upfront but have the claim forms to send off to the insurers."

Charlie's recuperation continues live on site and you can see his recovery on the home page of Yourcat.co.uk. There have been lots of visitors and well-wishers dropping by, so don't be surprised if you see a hand or three stretching across on camera to give the little fellow a gentle stroke.