As a vet nurse at Lort Smith, Vanessa looks after countless animals every week. But every now and then, an animal comes in who truly captures her heart. Bobbins is one of them.
The young cat had been hit by a car, causing multiple fractures to her pelvis. She wasn't able to walk or go to the toilet on her own, and sadly her carers couldn't afford the extensive rehabilitation she would need. A CT scan showed she had a narrow pelvis, which would make it difficult for her to pass faeces.
Vanessa worked around the clock with Bobbins, manually expressing her bladder, giving her enemas to help her pass faeces, giving her regular pain medication and doing gentle physio.
"We just formed a bond," Vanessa says. "She was a very spicy girl as you can imagine with all she had been through … but I saw improvement and I knew she wasn't going to give up. And neither was I."
It was incredibly stressful for me! But I would do it a million times over.
Vanessa, vet nurse and foster carer
Going home to recover
Vanessa put her hand up to take Bobbins home as a foster, to give her time to recover somewhere quiet and stress-free. At least, stress-free for Bobbins!
"It was incredibly stressful for me!" laughs Vanessa. "But I would do it a million times over."
"She was on four to six different types of medications and giving her those was no easy task, but we managed. She gained trust with me and let me express her bladder and give her enemas when needed but it was always a waiting game to see if she could toilet on her own."
"The day she did I cried, filmed it and sent it to all the vets and nurses who had helped her. Every time she pooped, I got so excited!"
A perfect match
Soon Bobbins was up and walking, and Vanessa knew their time together would need to end so Bobbins could go to her new home. Bobbins is now in a foster-to-adopt arrangement, and Vanessa thinks they've found the perfect home.
"They have bonded so well, and I get updates regularly.
"That's why I love fostering — it's truly incredible to see the transformation that a loving home and a bit of time can do to change the lives of these animals and ultimately the lives of the human who takes them home."
If you'd like to give a temporary home to animals who need a little more TLC, find out about our foster care program.