Trucker Saves Cat Left For Dead: “That Broke Me In About A Million Pieces”
Source: Life With Cats
Dennis McDonald was driving his five-ton semitrailer truck through a thunderstorm when he nearly ran over what appeared to be dead cat. But something told him the cat wasn’t a goner. “I said, ‘That cat’s still alive!’ It hit me like lightning.”
McDonald, who has two cats of his own, turned his truck around and pulled over to take a look, according to an article in BurnabyNow.com, a news outlet in the town of Burnaby in British Columbia, Canada. “I got down on my knees, and he kind of backed into my haunches, and he was a mess,” McDonald said. Half of the cat’s face was collapsed and his tongue was sticking out. “He couldn’t even hold himself up. It was one of the worst things I’ve seen.”
He put the small black cat in a box and took him to the Burnaby SPCA, where he urged the staff to get the cat to a veterinary hospital as soon as possible. “I said, ‘Ladies, we can worry about paperwork later. This animal has a chance. Let’s go!’”
The cat named Kevin was in bad shape. He had a fractured upper and lower jaw, a ruptured ear drum and multiple facial fractures. His nose had collapsed, and his palate was broken. Kevin underwent emergency surgery and survived. The article in Bunabynow explains that the shelter found the cat’s owner, who had given it to a neighbor who abandoned it. The original owner could not pay the medical bills and surrendered the cat to the SPCA.
McDonald realized the cat was all alone in the world. “That just broke me in about a million pieces,” he said. “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.’” Veterinarian Claudia Richter says that Kevin will stay at the clinic for another six to eight weeks, but should fully recover. “He might have some mild asymmetry in his face and he might have decreased hearing because his left eardrum ruptured, but I think his life will be pretty good,” says Richter, who spoke with the Burnaby SPCA.
Read more: http://www.lifewithcats.tv/2016/03/23/trucker-saves-cat-left-for-dead-that-broke-me-in-about-a-million-pieces/
BCSPCA: Good Samaritan stops five-ton truck to help injured kitty
http://www.spca.bc.ca/news-and-events/news/news-good-samaritan-truck-driver-saves-cat.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
What a great person 
Heartbreaking, since this cat looks very much like mine, who I also rescued after being abandoned. 
with the cat and the man 
so.sexy.
cradling his aging dog in Lake Superior to help relieve his chronic arthritis.
Both the man and the kitty.
lovely kitties!
I am kind of partial to dolphins.
A total love sponge. Snuggles on my side at night and will jump in my lap if encouraged. Worst part?
He walks on my head in morning to wake me up.
This is not good pic since he moved.
yes INDEED
That kitty will have a nice life with this wonderful man!
So sweet!
amazing they even saw it from a huge truck in a thunderstorm!!
The very best cats (and dogs, but I'm a cat person) are the ones we rescue.
About ten years ago a cat showed up in our driveway, starving and flea-infested. She'd apparently decided we were her last best hope, and after a few days one person in the family gave her water, and the next day another one put out food. She was actually surviving by hunting -- yet another family member witnessed her killing and consuming a rabbit.
We took her in, intending it be only temporary, and after a couple of months decided we'd keep her ourselves, and stopped trying to find another family for her. She lived with us for about three years, and by my best estimate was at least 15 when she passed.
Given that she was at least 12 when she came to us, I have some trouble imagining the scenario that left her out on her own. I kind of suspect that it was in a move, because a year or so after she came to us, when I started packing up because we were moving, she displayed a lot of anxiety.
People who abandon companion animals are despicable. Those animals (mostly cats and dogs) are truly wonderful, are totally in tune with us, enrich our lives, and deserve our love and attention.
Oh, and to add to various stereotypes and prejudices, a guy who likes cats is completely wonderful in my eyes.
, Dennis!
Little Tich, you always find the ones with a happy ending. This one is really exceptional.
Thanks for posting.
something in my eye now...
God bless you, and God bless Kevin.
Can you imagine an investment banker (or someone with a similar position) putting down his briefcase to save this kitty?
I can't.
Food for thought.
Both jaws, palate broken, other injuries. She came home to find him in a flower bed. With the help of a terrific vet, he survived. That was probably 15 years ago and he is about 19 now. He's still full of P and V.
