On Sept. 22 I was leaving a friend’s house at about 8:30 p.m.
As I was travelling down 24th Avenue in Vernon, I saw a pedestrian standing on the side of the road with a cat between her and this woman that had pulled over in a Jeep. Assuming that they were talking I rolled down my window and asked if she could grab her cat so I could pass them.
She explained to me that the cat was not her’s and that it had been hit by a car.
I pulled my car safely to the side of the road and called the emergency line for the SPCA, getting no response. My only option was to leave a message.
When I got out of my car, the cat was frightened and had dragged itself to nearby bushes to hide.
I continued to call numerous local veterinarians who all stated that they could not help me if I did not know the owner of the cat.
By this time, numerous bystanders were waiting with me and this cat as we continued to try and find it some help.
My last resort was to call the non-emergency line for the local RCMP to see if they could help. The dispatcher that I talked to took my information and dispatched an officer, asking me to wait until he arrived.
Shortly after I had contacted the RCMP, an officer arrived.
He explained that there was nothing he could do to help this suffering animal.
My heart, torn to pieces, I called my mom and explained the situation to her. She told me to contact her veterinarian, Kristina Ringness, and see if she could help.
Almost losing faith, I made one last phone call to Dr. Ringness. After two rings, Kristina answered the phone asking what had happened.
I explained to her the situation and that there was a large amount of blood loss and the cat was bleeding from its nose and mouth, and was hiding under nearby bushes.
She asked me if I could manage to get the cat and meet her at the clinic.
I told her that I would try. After five minutes of trying to get this animal to safety, I called her back and explained to her that I could not get this cat. It was suffering and in too much pain for me to move it.
Right away, Dr Ringness asked my location. I explained to her where I was and she arrived about 10 minutes after I had called her. I showed her the cat and we managed to capture it without further injury.
She then wrapped it in a blanket, taking it to her clinic where she preformed life-saving procedures managing to save this poor animal’s life.
I just want to say a huge thank you for your act of kindness Dr Ringness. If you would have not come to the rescue, this animal would have suffered through the night.
You never realize how hard it is to find help for an injured animal until you have to make that phone call.
There should be more funding or resources for horrible situations like this.
This veterinarian is a true hero to me and I am so thankful that she made herself available for this suffering animal.
K. Mann
Vernon
