Benjamin (got the laptop out this time!)

So I found it difficult to navigate all this on my phone, hence now on the laptop so should be better!

Thank you for letting me create this blog about Benjamin (aka Benjamina Philomena Chunkachena Chocowena), my handsome ex-feral who came to live with us at around 6 weeks as a dirty, scruffy little bundle of grey that grown men were terrified of.

Benjamin lives here with my son and I, with Chelsea the outdoor tortie, Aoife the fatty long haired sun worshipper, Bianca the crazy black with white socks and Nicolas a pure white bundle of terror.  Also our dog Phoebe and two hens with an overload of personality.

Benjamin ALWAYS stays out all night and without fail comes home around 7am every morning – EVERY morning.  So when he did not come home on Friday 13th August I was a little concerned but gave him a bit of leeway.  When he had not come home by Friday night,  was very much concerned.

By Sunday we were seriously worried and so put signs up at the two local shops and also at the bottom of the drive – I am a bit paranoid about leaving my phone number out in public so I just put the address.  This is what we think happened – on Thursday night or Friday morning someone hit Benjamin with their car, left him where he landed and drove off.  When they saw our sign, they discovered Benjamin was still in the land of the living and so brought him to the bottom of our drive and put him under the hedge.  At 9am Monday he was not there.  At 1pm Monday he was.  He COULD NOT walk.  We went straight to the vet who discovered he had a badly fractured and severely infected front leg and his hip was dislocating as and when it felt like it.  Benjamin had other injuries conducive with a RTA.

Benjamin is a big, strong, muscular gentle giant – I am pretty sure his exceptional physique is what kept him alive over the weekend.

The infection in his front leg was so severe that they had no choice but to do a full amputation from the shoulder down.  That was done on Tuesday 17th August.

Once he has recovered from the amputation surgery, he will have to go back in for hip surgery – femoral head ostectomy.  Mr stay out all night Benjamina will become an indoor cat – I have already ordered him an outdoor pen so that when he is feeling up to it, he can spend some time outside safely.

My poor little fella – he is so brave and I am so lucky he is still with us.