His vets say Stewart the cat would have died from injuries sustained in a car accident had his good pal Toby the Golden Retriever not found him and barked persistently to get the attention of the bonded pair’s petparents, Kevin and Louise Errington, of Endon, near Stoke-on-Trent UK.
When the Erringtons let Toby out into the back garden one day recently the dog went over to a bramble bush and stayed there, barking and giving them meaningful looks. Kevin and Louise came over to the bushes and discovered Stewart there, frightened and cowering underneath.
The couple, Kevin a paramedic and Louise a veterinary nurse, realized Stewart was injured and used pruning shears to open up the prickers and carefully bring him out. They were told at the vet where they rushed Stewart for emergency surgery that the cats’ pelvis was detached from his spine.
Kevin is quoted in a story in The Express, saying : “Stewart and Toby are the best of pals. We were starting to worry when we hadn’t seen Stewart for a day but we weren’t too concerned. But Toby knew something was wrong.
“We let Toby out and he ran to the bottom of the garden and was barking and barking at this bramble bush. He kept looking over at us and barking but he wouldn’t leave the bush.
“Eventually we went over and that’s when we found Stewart. It looked like he had been hit by a car and had somehow dragged himself about 50 yards from the road back to our garden.
“Toby is a hero – he’s had lots of treats. We’re just so thankful that Stewart is getting better.
“Stewart will sleep with Toby in his basket. Normally cats and dogs don’t get on but these two will even rub noses.
“He has to stay in a cat cage for two weeks while his pelvis mends – but he’s back home now and Toby won’t leave his side.”
Louise adopted Stewart when he was brought to her workplace in terrible shape after being found in a trash bin with plastic lodged in his throat. Stewart quickly became close with the couple’s dog.
Vet Victoria Poole, of the Willow Veterinary Clinic, said: “Dogs quite often find other ill animals and alert someone to something abnormal.”
Stewart’s vets agree that, while he is now on the mend, he probably would not have lived had Toby not found him when he did and alerted Kevin and Louise.
via The Express
