Tessa-Rose Midgley and her cat Nimbus were both left scarred after an attack by two dogs. Photo / Warren Buckland.
Tessa-Rose Midgley and her cat Nimbus were both left scarred after an attack by two dogs. Photo / Warren Buckland.
A Hastings woman who leaped to the defence of her cat as it was being torn in a "tug-of-war" between two roaming dogs remains hopeful he can pull through, despite his injuries and mounting vet bill.
Tessa-Rose Midgley's cat Nimbus was attacked on her front lawn a week ago, andsuffered heavy injuries despite her efforts to get between him and the dogs.
What initially appeared to be an overnight stay at the vet to treat extensive bruising, a broken front paw and puncture wounds has been compounded by the discovery of two hernias and liver damage, requiring multiple surgeries and an outstanding bill of around $3000 so far.
"He stood up for a bit and walked around yesterday but they have taken him off pain relief so he doesn't become dependent," said Midgley.
Nimbus has been at VetsOne in Hastings receiving treatment for over a week. Photo / Warren Buckland
Midgley said
Nimbus had been outside her Camberley house for about five minutes on October 6 when she heard the commotion, saw what was happening out the window and sprinted to intervene, picking up bites to her thigh and cheek after a tussle on the ground.
Having lost three cats to dog attacks previously, Midgley said she wasn't going to let it happen again without a fight, and didn't think twice about stepping in.
Tessa-Rose Midgely's wounds after the incident. Photo / Supplied
"Thinking back on it now it was really stupid of me to sort of throw myself in front of a dog like that," she said, before saying she would probably do it all over again given the chance.
Midgley said Nimbus was the fifth cat on her street to be attacked or killed in the past three weeks.
Since moving to the area about three months ago, she has seen dogs like the two staffordshire bull terriers she thought attacked her and Nimbus roaming the streets constantly.
"They aren't de-sexed, [and] are living in properties that have junk all through them and inadequate fencing," Midgley said.
"When you hear from animal control that de-sexing your animal in Hastings is now $20, that makes my heart ache for a lot of these families - they can't even afford that."
So although she is thankful for the donations from the public towards the cost of Nimbus' treatment, she is just as keen to see help go to people who can't afford to de-sex, register and properly care for their animals.
Hastings District Council animal control regulatory solutions manager John Payne said the investigation into Nimbus' case is still active, but they don't have any tangible information to help find the offending dogs or owners.
"We are making regular patrols in the area and waiting to follow-up any further information," he said.
