Percy

Percy was found in a pitiful state

In August, I had a call from our excellent vet in Ayr asking if we could take care of a cat brought into her in a terrible state. The poor little soul; although adult he was little and so severely dehydrated and emaciated that every bone in his body stuck out. He was starving to the point that he looked ‘caved in’. Had an extremely kind couple not stepped in to help him when he turned up in their garden, he would surely have died within a very short time. What a miserable death that would have been.

His finders, Heather and Hamish, having initially sought help from a local vet felt unsatisfied with what they were told so rushed him to the vet they had used before moving house. This second vet happened to be the one we use. Tests indicated he was anaemic and his kidneys were showing signs of disease. There was a suspicion of cat flu and general muscle weakness. His whole body was covered in lice, which must have been driving him crazy. Despite it all, our vet did feel he might have a chance of recovery with the right care (and his own willingness to keep on fighting) and that was when she called me and so he came to us.

Having been found on August 12th, the night of the Perseid meteor shower, his rescuers named this boy appropriately – Percy. How lucky was Percy that he chose THAT garden and was found by THOSE people? So many will have seen him and felt pity for his plight, but sympathy means little if it isn’t followed by action. Without a doubt, Percy is alive due to that intervention.

Percy had clearly been someone’s pet at some point but had been through hell and it took weeks before he stopped cringing in fear whenever my hand reached out to stroke him. Eventually, he actively sought attention, pulling my hand back whenever it looked like the fussing might stop! He did have to submit to bathing to help clean up the ingrained filth in his coat. That was a bit scary, but he did begin to actually enjoy the feel of the damp cotton wool being smoothed over his body, as well as the brush used to help relieve the itch left behind once the lice were dealt with. After a while, Percy felt strong enough to do his own washing, thank you, and it was a real pleasure to watch him take such pride in his appearance.

So, how is Percy doing at this point? It has taken a while for him to heal both mentally and physically from his ordeal. With half a tonne of cat food and a fair bit of being wrapped in cotton wool by an overbearing carer (yes, I’m guilty!), despite all his issues, there has been a great improvement. Percy would like you to know that his legs get stronger every day, as demonstrated by his climbing onto my desk when I’m trying to work on the computer, so it looks like his weakness was caused by muscle wastage when he was so starved – oh, and he was deemed strong enough to finally have his ‘big boy’ operation! Apart from the occasional sneeze there are no signs of cat flu. He’s put on lots of weight and blood tests show his kidneys to be healthy.

There’s absolutely no reason why this loving, brave and determined boy can’t now go on to have a long and very happy life and put all that went before behind him.

Flora Fleming – Ayrshire CAT77, December 2024