Posted: June 19, 2008 2 a.m. EDT
Bob the cat can thank the quick thinking and swimming-lesson skills of two children for saving his life. The Sauve family of Barrie, Ontario, Canada, noticed the stray cat struggling in water on the cover of their pool over the weekend and realized the animal was in trouble, the Barrie Advance reports.
Brock Sauve, 11, and Brawne, 13, used a pool net to move the cat to the edge of the pool, where their mother, Colleen Sauve, retrieved it from the water. “I put it on its side and pulled its neck back to open up its airway,” she said. “We started pressing down on its abdomen, and eventually some water and foam came out of its mouth and nose.”
The family took the cat, which they nicknamed Bob, to Aldergrove Animal Clinic. “When he came in, he was barely alive,” said Dr. Virginia Cornell, the veterinarian treating the cat. “He had to be on oxygen for several hours and does have some brain damage, but I expect that to come back.”
Cornell said that though the cat has a torn trachea and still has fluid in his lungs, she expects the cat to survive. When examining Bob, Cornell found microchip identification, but is concerned that the contact information may not be up-to-date. She reminds other pet owners to keep the information on their pets’ microchips current.