It was a normal day for Robin, Spring was starting to warm the world and feeling confident he would make the trip over the road he darted across, but the car didn't see him in time to miss him, and disaster struck. Robin was injured but fortunately alive, and his owners rushed him to Vale Vets where they found his bone was so badly broken he had two options. They could attempt to rebuild his leg, but with no guarantee it would work, and with a 6 - 12 week recovery period in a crate. The other was to amputate the leg with a good recovery on three legs within four weeks. Without insurance, Robin's owner was unable to afford either of these options, and our Vets did what they always do when faced with an animal who has an expensive bill, but an otherwise long and happy life ahead of them, they called us and asked if we could help. And of course, without hesitation we said, "yes". After speaking to the Vet at length and with much deliberation it was decided that amputation was the better option for this poor cat. To keep him in a crate for months with a slim chance his leg would be functional, where he may need future surgeries or in an extreme case may need amputation would be a living nightmare for this young and active boy. The odds were not high enough to gamble that this delicate operation would work and with our experience of seeing many cats living full lives with three legs, we made a judgement call.

Robin was signed over by his owners and we were able to get him the surgery he needed quickly. The simple truth is that if we hadn't said yes to covering his surgery, Robin would have been put to sleep. This is the sad reality for so many cats and dogs, as people believe that their pets are too young to need insurance, or lose their income and no longer have any savings for a tragic accident like this one. During the last year this has been an issue we have seen time and again, and those are the lucky ones, because we have been able to step in and help. Though he so easily could have lost his life in the accident, once it was clear he would survive, the second threat to Robin's life quickly became the cost of his surgery. Though it is a major operation, cats are incredibly resilient and many live long and happy lives managing on just three legs, so we knew we had to give him the chance at a long future he deserves.

Though Robin initially seemed to convalesce quickly, when he came to the Sanctuary to recover he stopped eating. We took him back to the vets, concerned there was something going on, but the vets determined there was nothing wrong with him aside from shock from the trauma he had endured and the new space he was in. They placed a feeding tube in him to see if it could give him the energy he needed to once again fight to survive. Thankfully, after a few days Robin started to eat independently and his feeding tube was removed.

Since then it has only been up from there, and thankfully Robin is happily eating and playing, and slowly getting used to having just three legs! He is now also looking for his forever home with great excitement and anticipation! His foster mum, Sara told us "He needs a home that can give him lots of love, he's definitely not an independent fellow he needs affection, he meows every time you come home and comes to greet you straight away. In terms of his character, he's friendly, playful, loving, affectionate and loud! He's honestly just a lovely friendly boy looking for someone to stroke, cuddle and play with him."

As this chap now has three legs he will find it difficult to jump away from anything he doesn't like, so we are looking for a home where he is the only pet. He is confident enough that he could live with children who understand that he might need some space now and then.

Robin is a truly special and deserving boy with a heart full of love! If you are interested in giving Robin his forever home please email us on info@hollyhedge.org.uk or call us on 01275 474 719

This year has devastated our finances and we have used all our savings to survive. We had been slowly building ourselves up after our Paws in Peril appeal in 2018, where we came close to closing, and it seemed we could once again plan for a refurbished cattery so we could secure our future, so we can be here for dogs and cats for as long as they need us. We need your help, so please give whatever you can, to help us continue to be there for cats like Robin.