The BC SPCA is looking after Tilly, a 10-week-old kitten who was discovered by a Good Samaritan along the coast of Dragon Lake in Quesnel, combating to survive.
“The finder was looking out of her bedroom window when she spotted what she thought was a kitten,” said Colby O’Flynn, BC SPCA’s senior supervisor for the North Cariboo. “Her husband went to check it out and Tilly crawled under their boat dock. They managed to coax her out onto the deck with some food – she desperately wanted to eat.”
When they got a much better take a look at Tilly, they might see she was severely hurt. Her eyes were glazed and she had pests all over her, specifically on her chest and back where there was a noticeable injury. The finders covered her up in a blanket, put her in an animal provider and instantly brought her to the BC SPCA in Quesnel.
“When Tilly arrived at the animal centre, the first thing we noticed, even before we brought her out of the carrier, was the smell of infection,” said O’Flynn. “She was cold, pale, dehydrated and barely able to lift her little head. It was hard to see the extent of the damage through her black fur, but we knew this kitten didn’t have much longer without emergency veterinary intervention.”
Tilly was driven one-and-a-half hours to the closest available emergency situation vet for evaluation.
For the very first a number of days Tilly was hospitalized and received helpful care to keep her comfy (discomfort control, prescription antibiotics, injury care, and fluids). She was shaved to reveal a much bigger injury which is thought to come from a predator.
In addition to her injury, Tilly’s tail was severely hurt.
The injury was cleaned up, and the pests and dead tissue eliminated. At initially, there was excessive swelling and infection and inadequate tissue to close the injury, however Tilly was quickly steady enough for surgical treatment. Her injury was almost totally closed, tubes were set up to permit drain and to promote correct recovery.
“Tilly’s doctor is impressed with her healing and was finally able to change her prognosis from day-by-day to a full recovery,” said O’Flynn. “We continue to handle her discomfort to help guarantee she is comfy and getting lots of love and rest.
“Tilly was tiny, terrified and weak, yet she somehow managed to pick herself up and find help,” said O’Flynn. “Right now, she is on medication to make her comfortable, so we have not had the chance to see her fun and playful side yet, but we have all fallen in love with the affectionate little love-bug.”
Tilly is still recuperating from her treatment. She will become made sterile and at that time her tail will be cut off. She is anticipated to be available for adoption at some point in early September.
“Our loyal friends at Petsecure Pet Health Insurance (supported by a grant from Definity Insurance Foundation) were so inspired by Tilly’s story that they’re matching up to $3,000 in donations towards her care and to other animals who need urgent medical help. Today your gift will help twice as much,” said O’Flynn
If you can help Tilly and other animals in requirement at the BC SPCA, please go to medical.spca.bc.ca.
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