Beloved family pet left fighting for life after fox attack

Nine-year-old Persian cat Ozzy was left needing a feeding tube after the incident near his home in Dunstable.

His owner found him lying in a pool of his own blood with fractures to his head, eye socket and jaw, and a bleed on the brain after the fox’s teeth pierced his skull.

Ozzy was rushed to emergency vets, who sedated the injured cat before referring him for expert care at Linnaeus-owned Davies Veterinary Specialists in Hertfordshire. He was treated by orthopaedic and soft tissue surgeon Rufus Hammerton.

Sandra said: “Ozzy is a house cat, and we only ever let him outside the back where he has an enclosed run. But he darted out the front door and under my neighbour’s car, so I went back in to call them before going to look for him.

“I found him a short time later, lying in a pool of blood, with blood pouring from his mouth.

“It was a Saturday night so we had to take him to our nearby emergency vet, and they said we would need to see a specialist.

“We drove to Davies where Rufus was waiting for us in reception and said he would be taking Ozzy for a scan and then straight to surgery. He ended up needing two operations and had a feeding tube fitted.”

It was a long road to recovery, with Ozzy going home when he was stable, having to be fed by a tube and given regular medication for three weeks.

But after plenty of love and expert care the feline is now back to full health.

Vet Rufus said: “When Ozzy arrived he was in serious condition with multiple injuries. There are not many fox attacks that we see of this severity where the animal survives.

“It took a good six weeks for Ozzy to recovery, and after a tough time we are so glad he is feeling better.”

Sandra added: “Ozzy is a little fighter and has gone on to make a full recovery.

“He’s a much-loved member of the family and we can’t say thank you enough to Rufus and the team at Davies, they saved his life.”

For more information about Davies and the wide range of specialist-led services it offers, visit https://vetspecialists.co.uk/ or search for them on Facebook or LinkedIn.