Jessie the cat was just clinging to life when Rescue Officer Amy found her.
A kind-hearted stranger spotted Jessie crawling behind a bush and dragging her back legs. They called our 1300 ANIMAL emergency hotline for help.
Rescue Officer Amy rushed to the address, but when she saw Jessie’s limp body, she feared she was too late.
Jessie’s little body was shutting down.
“I thought she was already dead when I first arrived,” says Amy. “She was lying face down in the dirt. But when I went to touch her, she lifted her head and nudged into my hand.”
Placed into an oxygen tank to help her breathing, Jessie was swiftly transported to our Veterinary Hospital by Amy.
“I didn’t think she was going to survive the 45 minute drive back to the shelter,” says RSPCA Rescue Officer Amy. “Her tongue and inside her mouth was grey – she was very close to death.”
When Jessie arrived at the hospital, our Chief Veterinarian Dr Anne Chester immediately diagnosed that Jessie had severe flea anaemia.
Parasites had drained so much of her blood that she was weak and unable to walk.
There was no way she would live without an urgent, lifesaving blood transfusion.
Will you donate to help fund critical veterinary care to save animals like Jessie?
Thankfully, her transfusion was successful and Jessie’s weakened body started to recover - a much better start to a New Year for Jessie!
When she was strong enough, Jessie’s tangled and matted coat was carefully trimmed by our vet team. Ointment was also gently applied to her painful, itchy skin.
Once she was on the mend, sweet Jessie was able to continue her recovery in a loving foster home with Chantelle. With love and care, this affectionate 12-year-old cat was able to return to full health.
“She is very confident and affectionate,” says Chantelle. “She has such a loud purr that sometimes it is hard to sleep with her on the bed purring so loudly.
“Her fur is starting to grow back in and in no time she will be looking less shaggy.”
Every day animals like Jessie come through our doors in urgent need of lifesaving veterinary care. Each life is precious and our dedicated teams do all they can to ensure they have the best possible chance of survival.
If you share our belief - that all animals deserve to be loved, cherished, and cared for - please donate to our Autumn Appeal today.
With your kind support, we can give more innocent animals like Jessie a second chance at a new life.
We won’t let them down, but at this time of year we need to raise $155,000 toward the veterinary facilities and equipment our team need to give lifesaving medical care to animals in need.
