Two-year-old cat, Carrot Cake, narrowly avoided losing her leg, thanks to PDSA, after an accident left her badly injured and unable to walk.

Nathalie Kassoul, from East Ham, London, arrived home one evening to find her beloved cat, Carrot Cake, injured and unable to walk on her back leg. She took Carrot Cake to her local vet, who examined her and found that she had serious injuries to her back leg, likely caused by a car accident or a fall. Carrot Cake was stabilised and given pain relief, but x-rays showed that she would need surgery to save her leg.

Nathalie said: “I have absolutely no idea what happened to Carrot Cake and finding her like that was so horrible. When we got to the private vet, they explained that her leg was broken, and it could cost as much as £5,000 to treat. I’d put my pet’s health before anything else, but we just couldn’t afford this. Due to the sheer impact the cost of living has had, we’re already trying to make cutbacks – we try not to use the heating, and we’ve even bought a microwave as it’s cheaper to run than using the gas oven to cook our meals.

“We faced a heart-breaking decision, as we couldn’t afford the full cost of repair at the private practice. We’re so grateful PDSA were there in our hour of need to step in and treat her leg.”

Carrot Cake was transferred for treatment at PDSA Bow Pet Hospital, where further x-rays luckily confirmed there was no other damage. A few days later, once she was stable, Carrot Cake was taken to surgery where the team worked tirelessly to repair her leg.

PDSA Vet Claire Wood said: “When Carrot Cake arrived at the hospital, she had wounds and bruising around her pelvis and back legs. We took further x-rays to check there were no other injuries before she had surgery, and thankfully, these showed there was no more damage. So we were able to operate using a pin and plate with screws to hold the bone together while it heals.”

Thanks to the dedication of the Bow vet team, the operation was a success and Carrot Cake was allowed to go home with strict instructions to rest.

Claire added: “The surgery went well, and Carrot Cake was able to go home later that day with pain relief and antibiotics to prevent any infection developing from her wounds. To make sure she had the best chance of healing and fully recovering, she needed strict rest. Luckily after six weeks, the fracture had healed, and we were able to remove the pin.”

Carrot Cake is now happily on the road to recovery – and her family is completely overjoyed.

Nathalie added: “Carrot Cake has recovered really well and is back to her loving and energetic self – up and about, jumping, and running to her heart’s content. She’s such an active cat who loves exploring outside so we couldn’t be more grateful to PDSA for treating her and helping to avoid amputation.

“Whilst my daughter and I both work, I don’t know how we would have afforded to pay the cost of the veterinary care needed to treat her leg. In our time of need, PDSA were able to save our beloved family pet, the work they do really does change lives.”

Total cost of Carrot Cake’s care: £1,561.74

PDSA is the UK’s leading veterinary charity. Through our 48 Pet Hospitals and Pet Care scheme, we save the lives of poorly pets who would otherwise be left untreated.

Every year, we helped over 388,000 pets. Without us, emergency cases like Carrot Cake's would be left untreated and many pets could lose their lives or be separated from families who love them.

We wouldn’t be here for cats like Carrot Cake without your support. Please consider donating today.

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