Scooby

On Thursday 2nd June my cat Scooby either inadvertently or intentionally got taken from Burgess Hill, where we live, to Worthing where he ended up on a very busy roundabout on the main A24 and subsequently got hit by two or more cars. I received a phone call from a Vets in Worthing that evening informing me they had my cat and he had been seriously hurt.

My initial conversation with the vet about money was that his first night alone and the treatment that he'd received (ie pain relief and oxygen tent) would cost approximately £250 plus a scan in the morning and an operation to fix his back leg would add a further £1000 to the bill.

It transpired that he needed more work than initially thought and by the end of the first operation I had already accumulated a bill of about £1600. He then developed complications and had to undergo a second operation to put his detached kidney back in place and flush him out as he was suffering from peritonitis.

He was hospitalised from 2nd June to 14th June and even though he is now home he is in a confining pen as he still requires ongoing treatment for his foreleg wound. This may eventually need a skin graft to aid the healing. He has to go back to Worthing on Tuesday 28th June for an assessment to determine whether they can remove his external fixater on his rear leg.

I am drowning in vet's bills and I don't know where to turn anymore. His treatment has just spiralled out of control and once I had started, I couldn't give up on him, it wouldn't have been fair. I am a lone parent on a low income with a 15 year old son who's father passed away in 2006. I have telephoned the RSPCA, both in Horsham and Patcham, and the Blue Cross who have said they will not help me.

The charity Tailwaggers has kindly donated £500 towards my Vet bill, so in short, my financial situation with regards to Scooby is now as follows:-

• The bill from the Worthing Vet was just under £4,000. I have paid £500 and Tailwaggers are paying £500 which leaves £3,000 outstanding plus the additional cost for the removal of the xfix.

• I have had to commit to a payment plan of 4 months so that I could bring Scooby home. I asked for a payment plan over 12 or 24 months but they wouldn't agree to it saying they weren't a loan company. They requested £500 by 30 June (which Tailwaggers are paying) with the rest to be paid by the end of September.

• Scooby is registered with a Vet in Burgess Hill and this is where I am taking him every 2 to 4 days to have his front leg wound cleaned and redressed. Since Scooby returned home last Tuesday, I have already accumulated £105 in vet's fees and I have been told that the treatment for his wound, which is a horrendous injury, will take weeks, if not months, to complete.

• I am not in a financial situation where I can apply for a credit card or loan.

Some people have questioned my decision but Scooby has won the admiration of everyone who's treated him. He is my own little Braveheart and I couldn't stop a heart beat because of a pound sign.

Here are some pictures of Scooby's journey.......... and thank you for any help you can give us.

Love

Denise & Scooby x