Heart-breaking moment Luton woman found her cat ‘struggling to breathe’ with bruised lungs after accident
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A woman from Luton is raising money to cover some of the costs of desperately needed surgery for her beloved cat, Ziggy, after he suffered life changing injuries, which vets believe to be the result of an incident involving a car.
Ziggy, just two-and-a-half years old, was taken in as a stray by his now owner Sasha Malik, 25-years-old. On February 5, he had been out for around five hours, having not eaten all of his food, which Sasha explained was out of character.
When he returned to their garden he was in a terrible state. His whole tail had been degloved and he was suffering from hypothermia and breathing difficulties due to bruising on the lungs. As a result of the his injuries Ziggy now needs his tail amputating and due to a loss of skin on his back he also needs a skin graft.
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Ziggy has been with Sasha since he was around five months old, when they adopted him as a stray whilst at university. Sasha explained how much he means to her, she said: “He’s literally my little baby, we’ve seen him grow into such a little character and he is just amazing. He is so close to me, especially during the pandemic, he really helped me to get through that as my little comfort animal.
“When we first got him he was such a scared little cat, he has shocked us in how much he’s developed. Now he’s out and about all the time.”
Seeing Ziggy in the condition and pain he was in following his accident was a major shock to Sasha and her family. Explaining the moment she saw her beloved cat she said: “I looked outside and saw him laying on the grass, I walked out and called his name and he just meowed and didn’t move. I thought he had been in a fight because he had some mud on his face.
“We thought he had something sticking out of his thigh and then realised it was his tail. He was panting, his tongue was sticking out and he wasn’t in a good state.
“It was hard to see, when I was trying to speak to the emergency vets I was shaking and it was difficult to even find the emergency vet. The state we saw him in he was struggling to breath and we had to act fast but it was horrible.”
The costs of vet bills began at around £900 and have continued to rise. Requiring major surgery, Sasha and her fiancé have been advised that Ziggy’s vet bills could rise up to anywhere near £8,000.
Whilst pet insurance will cover up to £4,000 of the vet bills, Sasha and her family will need to fund the rest and with plans to get married this year and the rising cost of living that has become an even more significant expense. To help pay for Ziggy’s vital care, Sasha set up a GoFundMe page.
Within two days the page has reached more than £1,000. Sasha expressed her overwhelming gratitude and thanks to those who have donated, including a number of strangers who don’t know Sasha or her family.
She said: “We’re honestly just so thankful. I set it up on Monday (February 6) night and it has already reached more than £1,000. I want to message everyone individually and thank them.”
For more information and to donate to help Ziggy, click here.
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