A cat left for dead on the highway owes his life to a trucker who cared enough to stop and rescue the dying animal.
Trucker Turns Around For Cat Left For Dead
According to a report in Burnaby Now, trucker Dennis McDonald was driving in a thunderstorm when he saw what he thought was a dead cat along the side of the road start to move. McDonald immediately turned the truck around and went back to help the creature. McDonald said that he got down on his knees and the cat collapsed towards him. “He couldn’t even hold himself up. It was one of the worst things I’ve seen,” he said.
The cat was in such bad condition that McDonald was not sure it would survive — severe trauma had caused part of the skin from his face to become detached.
Regardless, McDonald wasn’t willing to give up on the cat. He loaded the cat into a box and rushed him to the nearest SPCA, where he refused to fill out admittance paperwork because he was afraid that the animal might pass away in those few precious moments.
Animal Suffered Horrific Injuries
The veterinary staff reported that the cat had suffered horrific injuries– both jaws broken, a collapsed nose, and a broken palate all the way to the back of his skull, along with several other facial fractures.
Owner Abandoned Cat, So Selfless Agencies Donate Care
When the SPCA contacted the cat’s owner, he or she surrendered the cat to the agency and said that they could not pay for his surgery.
But the injured cat got his surgery anyway, thanks to donations from SPCA and other agencies.
After Saving His Life, Trucker Adopts Cat
Not only that, but he got a loving home, too, thanks to McDonald. When the trucker heard that the cat had been surrendered by his owner, he knew he had to do something. “I can’t do a lot on this planet, … but no being deserves to die anonymously in the corner. I said: ‘You know what? He’s mine,” McDonald said.
Though the cat still needs weeks of medical care, he is expected to make a full recovery. McDonald has come to visit him in the clinic three times since he was initially taken in.
And he has a name picked out for the cat — BB8, which is a Star Wars reference but also a reference to the fact that the kitty has used up almost all of his nine lives.
BB8 will come home to live with McDonald’s other two cats as soon as he has recovered.
Sources:
Burnaby Now