It started off in a sleepy blur. I registered Rae had got out of bed and then I heard her talking to the cat. I finally put together the words ‘oh’,’poor baby’,’blood’,’try to breath’ with the memory he didn’t come in when called last night. Our Tom had been hit by a car.
Rae was wonderful. She bundled Tom up, got through to me as I awoke to get Phee ready after she left and then called the local vet. Poor Tom, his eyes were so wide and he was labouring to breath. He could still walk though, and complained when he was picked up. The local vet sent Rae and Tom off to the nearest open major animal hospital, the Melbourne University Veterinary School in Werribee. I got Phee together – thank god she’s only 6 and is more than happy being told that Mum had to go to work very early – and dropped her off at her Nana’s.
I went to Werribee and waited with Rae. I’m not sure how long it was before the vet came out. Tom has a broken jaw, swelling on the brain that is causing blindness (both hopefully only temporary), possible fractured pelvis and maybe some urinary tract damage – we won’t know for sure until tomorrow. They need to stabilise him first before doing more tests. The amazing thing is that, even though he’d been hit and was blind he managed to find his way through a park, over a two and half metre fence and in to his outside box where he was safe and warm.
I know they are ‘only’ pets but this cat is such a part of our family. We’re not telling Phee just now. One reason, it’s her last day of school tomorrow so it’s best she gets through that, and another is we really don’t know yet what the situation is. We’re going to say we haven’t seen him if she asks where he is (as she always does). We both think she will cope a lot better knowing exactly what is going on rather than saying Tom is not well and we have to wait and see. So tonight wish us luck as we try not to let on.
Now we wait until we can call to see how he is. Damn that clock is moving slow.