Detective work needed after cat was hurt in an accident in Raynes Park
A French cat owner living in Raynes Park has been reunited with his beloved feline thanks to the detective work of the RSPCA.
Little Meliodas was admitted to the RSPCA’s Putney Animal Hospital during the early hours of October 15 after he was found on the doorstep of a concerned member of the public in Raynes Park.
He was bleeding from his hind quarter and seemed unable to stand on his own, and the kind-hearted member of the public took him the the hospital.
It was believed Meliodas had been involved in a road traffic collision and he was given pain relief and examined and scanned for a microchip.
When the chip was found it was clear it was a French chip, and the RSPCA enlisted the help of RSPCA Networking Administrator Agnes Harinquet-Rougeot, who is a French national.
Determined to find the owner, Agnes set about contacting the French microchip company i-cad to trace the owner, but when she didn’t hear back she also posted details on the French National Lost and Found website, as well as the English site Pets Located.
Meanwhile, Meliodas was treated by staff at the hospital who x-rayed him and found he had a broken pelvis and femoral neck fracture, his injuries were consistent with that of a road traffic collision. As he was in an extremely poor way, he was given fluids and strong pain relief and made comfortable, while efforts continued to find his owner.
Following an appeal on the French lost and found website, i-cad emailed the cat’s owner direct, and fortunately his email address was still in use.
As soon as his delighted owner Steve Carrier-Simon received the email, he immediately contacted the hospital and came to visit his beloved cat. Meliodas was still too poorly to be moved due to his injuries, but Steve visited again on the Thursday and was told he would be able to take him to his own vets where he later underwent fracture repair surgery to his injuries.
Steve, who lives in the Raynes Park area after moving to England from Brussels in June, said: “Meliodas is now back home and is doing well from his surgery, his surgeons said that because he is still very young – only a year and a half – his body is recovering well.
“He now has a metallic square in his pelvis as part of the surgery, but he seems to be doing well, I am just so grateful that the RSPCA were able to help him and that Agnes made such an effort to find me and didn’t give up.
“I would just like to thank everyone at the RSPCA for being so helpful and I would encourage other people to ensure that they get their pets microchipped as it definitely saved my boy.”
Agnes added: “I am so pleased that I have been able to reunite Steve with his beloved Meliodas, and it just shows once again the importance of getting your pet microchipped.
“Every animal which comes to Putney is always scanned for a chip, and we will do all we can to trace the owner, no matter what country they are from and I am delighted that in this case it was a happy ending for all.
“Sadly for those animals without a chip, it is so hard to reunite them, we always put their details on the Pets Located website, but if they are chipped and the details are up to date we can reunite them so much quicker. While it is heartbreaking to lose a pet, if they are microchipped there is a small part of reassurance that should they be found they will make their way back home to you.
“But is is also worth reminding people that if you do chip your animal, please always update the details should you move. In this instance Steve had been trying to do this, since moving to London in June.”
November 16, 2017