Cat loses one of his nine lives after being hit by train

21 May 2020

Jay is back on three paws.

A miracle cat who survived being hit by a train is on track to make a full recovery, thanks to our incredible veterinary teams.

One-year-old Jay from Ilford, Essex, suffered horrific injuries, including a severed leg and fractured tail, after wandering on to the train tracks next to his home.

His owner, Darren Danks (45), began to worry something was wrong after Jay didn’t return home after being let out.

Darren said: “Jay likes to explore but never ventures too far from home. It was really out of character for him to go missing so I was really worried. When several hours had gone by I knew something was wrong.

“I took a look outside and could see Jay lying on the other side of our fence. I called out his name and he slowly began to hobble over. I was horrified when I noticed one of his back legs was missing.”

Despite the severity of his injuries, Jay found the energy to jump the nine-foot fence and return to Darren in the garden.

Darren added: “My wife was in tears and I was struggling to hold it together. There was a trail of blood leading from the train tracks and I thought we were going to lose him. I couldn’t believe he had survived being hit by a train.”

Jay was taken to our Ilford PDSA Pet Hospital, where we currently have emergency vets on standby to provide life-saving care to pets during the coronavirus crisis.

“Jay was in a critical condition when he arrived at PDSA,” said the charity’s Vet Lucy Gardiner.

“His right hind leg was severed from the accident and x-rays revealed he had fractured what was left of it, as well as his tail. Luckily tests showed no evidence of internal injuries so we placed him on a drip and intravenous pain relief to stabilise him, then we needed to get him into theatre for emergency surgery.”

His injuries were so severe that Darren was warned he might not survive.

Lucy added: “Due to the level of trauma, we had no choice but to amputate what remained of his right hind leg. We also removed the damaged muscle caused by the impact of the train. His broken tail also had to be amputated. This was complex surgery and there was a real risk that Jay wouldn’t pull through.

“Despite suffering life-threatening injuries, he was a real fighter and after a long night he was able to go home on strict cage rest. Unfortunately, at his recheck a few days later, infection had started to take hold and he needed further surgery to remove infected muscle, which extended all the way down to the bone. He was kept in for over a week at the hospital for intensive nursing care before he could recover at home.”

And thanks to the skilled veterinary team, Jay is making a miraculous recovery. 

“Thankfully he’s on the mend, though it’s taken dedication from our staff and his owners. We are continuing to monitor him closely but with our help and the care from Darren, he can go on to live a happy and normal life.”

Darren added: “Life without Jay doesn’t bear thinking about, he means the world to us and is such an important part of our family. My wife is deaf and Jay is an enormous source of comfort to her - he always picks us up when we are feeling down.

“We want to thank everyone at PDSA for saving his life. They never gave up on Jay, even when we thought all was lost. We’ve donated what we can towards Jay’s treatment, but I don’t think I can ever repay them for bringing my boy back from the brink.”

At PDSA, we don’t receive any Government funding, so Jay’s life-saving treatment is only possible thanks to public support and kind donations. During these uncertain times, as people struggle with financial uncertainty, the charity’s veterinary services – treating sick and injured pets in need – is more vital than ever.