Wolverhampton cat saved by PDSA after road traffic collision

28 June 2022

An eight-year-old rescue cat named Billy who sustained serious injuries to his pelvis in a suspected road traffic collision has been saved thanks to PDSA vets.

Billy’s story coincides with the launch of our life-saving X-ray Appeal which aims to raise vital funds so that we can continue to provide essential care for sick and injured pets whose owners struggle to pay for their treatments.

Mother-of-two Tracy Mansell (52) contacted our Pet Hospital in Oldbury when she discovered Billy in the back garden of her Wolverhampton home, crying in pain and struggling to walk.

Tracy said: “I immediately knew something was very wrong with Billy. He was crying out in pain and wouldn’t let anyone apart from my husband near him. It was absolutely heart-breaking to see him in that state, I was beside myself with worry.

“I knew Billy needed to see a vet urgently so I called PDSA and the team directed me to the charity’s out-of-hours service in Oldbury. We got Billy there as quickly as possible and the team took him inside to assess his injuries. It was a tense wait and I was absolutely convinced that he wouldn’t make it. I felt completely overwhelmed and emotional when the vet told me they could help him, I just couldn’t believe that he was going to be alright.”

Billy was stabilised with pain relief and fluids overnight before being placed under a general anaesthetic so X-rays could be carried out to assess the full extent of his injuries.

Senior Veterinary Surgeon at Oldbury PDSA Pet Hospital, Ian Fleming, explained: “We discovered that Billy had a fractured pelvis. We were also able to stitch up a nasty wound on his back leg. Billy’s injuries were consistent with a road traffic accident. He needed pain relief and around-the-clock care, so he was hospitalised for another three nights. He also initially struggled to urinate properly due to the severity of his injuries, so we couldn’t send him home until we were confident that he could pass urine comfortably.

“It’s thanks to the X-rays that we were able to accurately diagnose what had happened to Billy – they are essential for us to be able to provide vital care to poorly pets. Amazingly, across our 48 Pet Hospitals UK-wide, we carry out one X-ray every two minutes but, at £135 per procedure, they are a costly yet vital part of our work. Billy is just one example of the thousands of much-loved pets we support every year, offering them a fighting chance of survival and the ability to return home to their families.”

Thankfully, Billy was able to go back home to his loving family to heal with strict cage rest for three weeks and pain relief, when PDSA vets X-rayed him again to assess his recovery.

Tracy added: “I can’t describe the relief we all felt when we were told Billy could come home. When he was away it was like part of the family was missing. He was obviously very traumatised by what had happened to him and he was quite withdrawn for a while but he is slowly getting back to his old mischievous self which is wonderful to see. There are no words to describe how grateful we all are to PDSA for what they did for Billy, there is no doubt in my mind that the vets saved his life. Everyone was so kind to us, updating us regularly on his progress, we just can’t thank PDSA enough for the incredible work it does.”

In times of hardship, pets like Billy will still fall ill or be injured and need emergency, life-saving care. Just one of Billy’s X-rays alone cost the charity £135 and, while his owners contributed what they could towards his treatment, the total cost of his care came to over £1,000.

We are appealing for donations so that our vets can continue to provide life-saving care to vulnerable pets, whose owners have nowhere else to turn. Every donation will help give a poorly pet the life-saving X-ray and care they so desperately need. Find out more about the X-ray Appeal and donate today.