Severely injured Maine Coon found in bushes needing £20,000 worth of veterinary treatment

NEWS AND COMMENT: This is a slightly strange story but it is an incomplete story as well. The headline from the Southern Daily Echo is that a Maine Coon was left for dead adjacent to Botley Road, Eastleigh, England. The Maine Coon belongs to a couple, Grace Weare, 32, and Harry Long, 31. He had become lost and they spent hours searching the area for him.

Harry Long and Grace Weare. Image: Southern Daily Echo.

There is a picture on the Southern Daily Echo of the Maine Coon cat after they had found him. If this cat 'Gatsby' is a Maine Coon he is a non-typical Maine Coon cat. He looks actually, without being in any way critical, more like a regular tabby domestic cat. But clearly the couple believe that he is a Maine Coon. I believe that they are mistaken. 

I hope they did not pay a breeder or someone online and exorbitant amount of money for Gatsby because he does not have the appearance of a Maine Coon.

I think that's a relevant point because you don't let a Maine Coon cat go outside unsupervised in the UK unless its under exceptional circumstances because it's too dangerous as Maine Coon cats are simply too glamorous and noticeable and are likely to attract pet thieves. 

There is an epidemic of pet thefts in the UK at present.  In the UK regular domestic cats are allowed outside all the time unsupervised.

But Gatsby was severely injured to the point where he lost his right eye and had various injuries including a broken jaw, nose and a leg. We are not told how the injuries occurred. I will guess that he was hit by a car.

It was a dog actually that spotted Gatsby in the bushes next to this road and who started barking at him. This alerted Grace who then went to recover her cat.

Gatsby was insured with the best possible health insurance cover but despite that the insurance company only covered half the costs of veterinary treatment estimated at £20,000.

As a result, the couple have crowd funded some more money and to date it stands at £1600. The veterinarian suggested that they euthanise Gatsby. That suggestion as you can see was rejected. Grace said that she wants her beloved Gatsby "to live a wonderful life for the next 20 years but these costs are rising up to around £20,000 in total."

The jaw surgery alone will cost £6000.

I can't show the picture of Gatsby with his injuries because it would not be allowed by Google AdSense as advertisers don't like their adverts to be next to difficult to see photographs.

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Please excuse the occasional typo due to preparing these articles at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I don't have a proof reader.