A WESTBURY woman recently raised over £2,400 to cover the cost of a life-saving operation for a stray cat she has taken in.
Elena Barnard raised the money via an online fundraising page, to pay for Martha, the cat, to have one of her front legs amputated and other injuries treated. She explained that a vet said the injuries could have been caused by a ‘kick’ from a person.
Speaking to White Horse News before Martha’s operation in December, Elena said, “I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed. People say, ‘this has restored my faith in humanity’ a lot, but this is genuinely how I feel.
“Especially as we have been told that her injuries could have been sustained by a human being not being particularly kind to her – it’s made me feel a lot less angry and hopeless.
“It’s been a very overwhelming time – looking after an animal that is injured is emotional and difficult. Knowing that there are people out there – even those that couldn’t donate and have sent supportive messages – has been unbelieveable welcomed and I have been so grateful.
“We already have a three-legged cat, so our house is already quite well adapted, and we know that cats do adjust remarkably well to losing a limb. For Martha, she is losing a front limb, which is a steering limb and not as traumatic as losing a back limb.
“My boyfriend and I (Alex Richards) hadn’t planned to take in another cat – we already have three cats – but Martha is such a friendly and calm cat – she’s fantastic, and very easy to love. So it will be a little bit squashed, but we will make it work.”
Martha’s operation took place on Monday 23rd December, and Elena reports that the cat is recovering well.
“Thanks to our amazing donors, Martha the cat is on the road to recovery,” said Elena. “She is currently resting up and recuperating. Thanks to our amazing donors, her vet fees were all paid for, and we have a little left over, which we’re going to reallocate to other needy cats via charities and our local food banks, as we always promised we would. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to every single donor.”
