A heartbroken pet owner is facing a desperate fight to save her beloved cat after he was seriously injured in a hit and run, resulting in him losing control of his back legs.
Tabby cat Luca managed to drag himself to his owner's front door after being hit by a car in Pelaw at around 1.30pm on April 17. He sustained several fractures and a ruptured intestine and now requires complex surgery.
But this has left his owner Aileen Marron with a vets bill of up to £10,000, which is more than double her pet insurance cover. And with tests suggesting Luca could survive with the correct treatment, Aileen said putting Luca to sleep is not an option.
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The 33-year-old beautician said: "He has been there for me through thick and thin and now I need to be there for him.
"People say cats can be quite cold and they're not very affectionate compared to a dog. But I've always said that Luca is the cat who thinks he's a dog. He taught himself how to play fetch when I had an injured leg and I couldn't walk, so he could include me in his little games.
"And when I had a really hard time a year ago he didn't leave my side. He was constantly there like a therapy cat. He had his head buried into my chest and I could barely go anywhere without him jumping up to be on my knee again."
Two-year-old Luca lives in Pelaw with Aileen and his brother Louie, who was born in the same litter of kittens. Originally, Aileen had planned to keep them as indoor cats but in November she gave in to Luca's determination to be an outdoor cat after listening to advice from the vets and her family.
She added: "I was quite reluctant to and I ended up taking him out on a lead to get him used to the road. I know it might sound ridiculous, trying to teach a cat road safety, but I did show him the road and he was very wary of the cars going past and everything and it got to a point where I saw that he could be trusted. He was coming back to me whenever I shouted him and he was no bother."
Luca is also fitted with a GPS collar, allowing Aileen to see where he is at all times. But last Monday he was found howling in agony by Aileen and her mum after being hit by a car near her home and was immediately rushed to the vets.
He was in so much pain when he arrived at the vets that he had to be put under aesthetic to be examined and reveal the extent of the injuries which had caused him to lose control of his back legs.
Aileen explained that x-rays revealed that Luca had a sustained a number of fractures and a ruptured intestine. But later that day, he began to regain slight movement back in his legs, showing positive signs that he could make a recovery.
After a two night stay at the vets, Luca was referred to a veterinary hospital for treatment. But by this point Aileen's vet bill had already reached £2,300. Although she has pet insurance for Luca totalling £4,250 per year, this is capped at £3,250 per condition.
And Aileen has been now been informed that Luca requires surgery which is estimated to cost a total of £8,500 to £10,000.
Aileen said: "Everybody wants their pet to live, but I was trying to be realistic with what his chances are of coming back from this. The vets at the hospital said if he has pain sensation at the base of his tail it's more consistent with a full recovery. The vet got some forceps and gave him a nip at the base of the tail to see if he would feel anything.
"A second felt like it lasted forever but he yelped almost straight away and he pulled his bum away from her. That's when I knew he had the ability there to get better and I knew I had to find the money from somewhere otherwise it would have felt like we were killing him for no reason.
"Knowing that, it wasn't an option for me to put him down. He's my little best mate."
She added that Louie has also been showing signs that he is missing his brother Luca. She said: "With them being so close he's been running from one end of the flat to the other, he checks the door, he's been crying at the door and he's been on window sill patrol looking for him coming home."
Aileen has had to set up a payment plan to pay back the original £2,300 over the next 12 months and use the insurance money to help pay for the surgery. However, this still leaves a large outstanding balance and in a desperate attempt to save her beloved Luca she has set up a go fund me page, which can be accessed here.
She is also hoping that her story raises awareness of the cost that people might face if they find themselves in a similar situation.
She added: "I think there needs to be more awareness of what the costs are when people are going through their insurance and putting their cover in place. So many people have said to me that they've revised their cover after hearing about what has happened."
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