Tom

Nine-month-old kitten, Tom, is hailed a “little miracle” after surviving severe injuries from a suspected road traffic accident.

When Tom, a nine-month-old kitten, left the family home one night and failed to return as normal, his owner, Lee had a gut feeling something wasn’t quite right.

He said: “Tom goes out at night but always returns home before I wake up. That morning, I felt worried when I realised that he hadn’t come back yet. He’d never normally disappear for that amount of time.

“Not long after, I found Tom collapsed outside the house. I knew he was badly hurt – he could barely move. I frantically called PDSA’s emergency line and rushed him straight there.”

At Sheffield PDSA Pet Hospital, where Tom is registered for low-cost vet treatment, the team wasted no time assessing his injuries.

Vet Nurse Team Leader, Laura Windle, said: “Tom was in a state of shock. He had blood around his mouth and was breathing much faster than normal. He also had some swelling under his chest and tummy area and couldn’t stand on his back legs.

“We suspected Tom had been involved in a road traffic accident, but we needed to do further investigations to help us identify his injuries so we would know what treatment he needed.”

The vet team quickly stabilised Tom with fluids and pain relief and closely monitored him until he was strong enough to have X-rays under a general anaesthetic.

After looking at his X-rays, PDSA vets were worried that Tom had a hernia (a hole in his body wall muscles) and significant internal injuries caused by the impact of the accident, so he was moved to the operating room for emergency surgery. There, it became clear just how life-threatening Tom’s injuries were.

Under his fur, his skin was bruised. When the operation started, the vets saw his liver had been torn, and the confirmed hernia had caused his body wall muscles to separate from the last rib. He also had a small hole in his diaphragm (the muscle between the chest and abdomen that helps with breathing).

With Tom’s life at stake, the vet team worked carefully to repair both the hernia and the hole in his diaphragm. This was an incredibly complex and high-risk procedure, but even more so for a vulnerable kitten like Tom.

Partway through the surgery, things took a terrifying turn when Tom stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest. Despite the odds, the skilled vet team managed to resuscitate him and restart his heart.

Fortunately, Tom made it through the rest of his surgery and was carefully moved to the feline recovery area for round-the-clock care. Tom's condition was serious - his life hung in the balance, and the vet team knew there was still a long way to go.

Vet Surgeon Amy Spackman said: “When a pet goes into cardiac arrest, there’s a high risk of long-term damage if the brain has been without oxygen for too long. When Tom recovered from his anaesthetic, we quickly realised he had lost his vision, so we were concerned this could be the case for him. It was very much touch-and-go. We didn’t know what the outcome would be, but we remained hopeful.”

Tom had a very tricky first night in recovery. But, the following day, the vet team were thrilled to see him standing on all four paws. He was eating small amounts and showed signs that his vision was coming back.

The staff continued Tom’s pain relief and antibiotics and kept a close eye on him. The next day, Tom’s vision had come back fully, and thankfully there were no further signs of brain injury.

Once the vet team saw he was recovering well, they discharged Tom from the Pet Hospital so he could return home to his worried family. The vet went through the medication with Lee and explained that Tom needed strict rest to allow his wound to heal.

Sadly, Tom had trouble when he developed a severe infection in his surgery wound a few days later. Lee was advised to bring Tom back to the Pet Hospital so the vet team could examine his wound.

Amy said: “Tom’s bruising as a result of his injuries had worsened, and the damage to the skin had ended up causing an infection in his wound. This meant he needed a second surgery to repair the area. Unfortunately, this isn’t unusual in cases of serious trauma like Tom’s, as severe bruising can damage the blood flow to the skin.” 

Thankfully, the procedure went well. Tom remained in the Pet Hospital overnight for close observation, antibiotics, and pain relief. Once the team felt happy with his progress, they discharged him to continue his medication and rest at home.

Over the next fortnight, Tom recovered well, and his wound healed. Less than a month after his accident, the vet team signed Tom off from further treatment and branded him a “little miracle” for surviving such a traumatic ordeal.

In total, Tom spent a total of five nights under the care and supervision of the Sheffield PDSA team, with his treatment costing nearly £3,000.

Reflecting on what happened to his precious pet, Lee said: “It’s been a few months since it all happened. Tom’s happy again, doing what he loves most – playing in the garden. And we’re even happier to have him.

“We appreciate everything PDSA did; if it wasn’t for their amazing team, Tom wouldn’t be alive. The biggest ‘thank you’ simply isn’t enough to describe how grateful we are for saving him and for being so good to us. It was no doubt a dark time, but they kept us informed every single step of the way.

“Thank you PDSA – for everything.”

Total cost of Tom’s treatment: £2,907.01 

PDSA is the UK’s leading veterinary charity. Through our 49 Pet Hospitals and Pet Care scheme, we save the lives of poorly pets who would otherwise be left untreated.

Every year, we treat over 430,000 pets. Without us, emergency cases like Tom'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 Tom without your support. Please consider donating today.

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