A COUPLE from south Warwickshire have spoken of their shock and horror at discovering the family’s pet cat had been shot and left for dead.
Zoe and Matt Breakwell, from Bishops Itchington, admitted they feared the worst after finding their beloved pet, Stanley, seriously injured on the doorstep after apparently being shot by a pellet gun.
Thankfully, the one-year-old Russian Blue survived the shocking incident but he needed emergency surgery and months of treatment.
Zoe said the team at Willows Veterinary Centre in Solihull had done an incredible job to ensure a happy ending to what had been an incredibly traumatic and stressful experience for Stanley and his family.
She said: “Stanley somehow dragged himself back to our house, bleeding profusely and without the use of one of his legs.
“He mewed faintly outside the front door to alert us he was there and upon the door being opened, he collapsed.
“Stanley was clearly in a very bad way and we had no idea whether he would survive.
“We initially assumed he had been attacked but the vet said he’d been shot at close range and sustained severe damage to his front leg.
“Matt and I were totally shocked. The children were very upset and none of us could fathom why or who might shoot an innocent pet.
“We were all incredibly concerned as we were unsure whether he would survive.”
Willows’ vet Simone Anesi took charge of Stanley’s treatment and admitted he was shocked by the shooting.
He said: “Stanley had been shot with a pellet gun and this had caused a fracture of his left scapula. He had surgery to reconstruct his fractured scapula, which was challenging. Although many of the pellet fragments were removed there were many that had to be left behind.
“An ongoing concern was that Stanley could still not use his left foreleg four weeks after surgery. Willows’ neurology team examined Stanley to see if his poor progress was a consequence of severe neurological deficits but only minimal neurological deficits were found.
“We concluded that his poor function was most likely due to severe fibrosis around the scapula as a result of the original gunshot trauma.
Stanley was swiftly referred to our veterinary physiotherapist Holly Finelli and began a prolonged period of intensive rehabilitation.”
Owner Matt continued that the family spent months fearful Stanley might have to have his leg amputated but, thanks to the vets, that potential outcome had been averted.
He added: “We know Stanley will always have a limp but he’s regaining strength daily in his injured leg and his confidence has returned so the family is delighted.”
