A GINGER cat who survived being mauled by a dog has been selected as a finalist in a national competition run by a vet charity.

Six-year-old Ozzy, from St Helens, lost a leg after a vicious attack and is now up against five other pets for the coveted title of PDSA Pet Survivor 2015. 

The competition recognises the pets’ incredible survival spirit, the love and devotion of their owners and the skill and dedication of the veterinary teams who helped to save their lives. 

The winner will be decided by a public vote via the charity’s website - www.pdsa.org.uk/petsurvivor.

In May this year, Ozzy was relaxing on the front wall when a dog walking past attacked him.

His owner Hayley Sharples heard the awful noise and rushed of out the house just in time to see Ozzy escape and flee.

For the next 36 hours, Ozzy was missing. His owners mounted a search with help from the local community.

He was eventually found close to home – he had somehow crawled back but was barely alive. He was rushed to Huyton PDSA Pet Hospital, where the severity of his injuries became apparent.

PDSA Vet Steven Goldie said, “Ozzy had a very bad fracture to his front left leg and a large gash on his chest. His injuries were so severe we don’t know how he even managed to crawl home. But Ozzy’s incredible will to survive was clear.

"Ozzy’s chest injury was stitched up and his leg was repaired with metal plates, but it was such a severe break that the bones didn’t heal properly. After careful consideration, the decision was made to remove his leg and Ozzy is now coping very well with life on three paws".

Hayley’s mum Susan Follin, who nominated Ozzy for the award, said: “PDSA saved Ozzy’s life and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. It’s been a long process and he has been so brave through everything.

"He’s even a bit of a local star now as he was featuring on local Facebook pages and the whole community has been wishing him well. We’ve entered him into PDSA Pet Survivor to share his incredible story and to thank the vets and nurses who saved him.”
The competition was open to pets treated by a vet in the UK between 01 August 2014 and 1 August 2015.

Only one vote per person is allowed, the winner will receive the coveted PDSA Pet Survivor trophy and a year’s free PDSA pet insurance*.

Voting closes at midnight on December 13, 2015.