The BC SPCA is hoping residents can chip in a few bucks after a North Shore kitty was struck and injured in a hit-and-run.
A release from the animal protection agency described in detail what happened the night the driver of a pick-up truck hit Magnus on West Keith Road. The incident was witnessed by a Good Samaritan who jumped into action.
“The witness watched a truck speed down the road and saw Magnus get hit. She could hear him crying out in pain,” said Sarah Henderson, animal care manager BC SPCA West Vancouver. “The truck did not stop.”
Magnus dragged himself under a parked car, where it looked very much like he wouldn’t make it.
“Based on the amount of blood loss and his obviously broken leg, she was very concerned,” says Henderson.
Immediately after, the woman went door-to-door asking if anyone in the area recognized the cat. Other neighbours came out to offer help, get the kitty out from under the car and rush him to an emergency animal hospital. Staff there reached out to the BC SPCA in West Vancouver to see if they would be willing to take on the significant cost of his care.
“The staff at the animal hospital informed us Magnus was in such rough shape, he would not have survived the night if the witness and her neighbours had not intervened,” Henderson said. “The poor cat was in extreme pain, bradycardic (slow heartbeat), hypothermic and dehydrated with pulmonary contusions, and a severe right tibia fracture that required surgery.”
SPCA staff did eventually locate Magnus’s owner but they opted to surrender the cat, the agency says.
Today, Magnus is recovering from successful surgeries and is living with a foster family pending his OK for adoption, likely in the next week. All indications are he is going to make for a very affectionate friend for someone.
“This is a sweet cat who experienced a traumatic injury,” Henderson said. “His foster family reports he is a very friendly boy who was purring and ‘making biscuits’ even before his surgery. He takes his meds very well and he purrs every time they scratch his head.”
To help cover the cost of Magnus’s surgery – and to help other animals at the BC SPCA – visit medical.spca.bc.ca.
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