Quick thinking and local dive shop saves Georgie's life

This is Georgie. Like most older cats, Georgie has several health problems including advanced heart disease which affects his circulation and breathing. You'd never know he had a problem when he's in the comfort of his own home but any stressful event has the potential to tip him over the edge. 

He absolutely hates going in the car but that's never stopped him getting stress-free veterinary care. In fact, he is one of The Cat Vet Home Visiting Clinic's most visited cats! When Georgie's owners (my Mum & Dad) announced they'd bought a house and he'd have to be moved my heart sank! Naturally I was really pleased my parents finally had a home of their own having rented since moving back to the UK from Australia several years ago, but I was very anxious knowing that moving any cat with such a heart condition was going to be dicey.  I'd have to keep my cool as his vet and for my parents sake! 

All cats are special, but Georgie certainly has survived against the odds more than once.  He came to us one hot day when I was training as a vet in Western Australia. A dog walker brought in two kittens his dog had found tied up in a plastic bag in some bushes. They still had their umbilical cords attached and were very weak. Being the cat lover that I am I just had to give them a chance. I took them home with me and bottle fed them through the night. The little ginger kitten sadly died within 24 hours but the bigger, noisier tabby one thrived! Needless to say I convinced my parents to keep the poor little orphan and we named him Georgie. He has always been a very special member of our family and travelled with us when we moved to England. 

So, the big move day was finally upon us last Friday. Being a perfectionist, I planned the entire day with military precision including ordering in a portable human paramedic-sized tank of oxygen. Even still, the responsibility of looking after Georgie had been weighing heavily on my shoulders in the lead up. I must admit I would have been apprehensive if this was any cat, but the circumstances surrounding this particular cat made it all the more nerve racking. That day was also the first anniversary of the traumatic week this time last year when another of my elderly cats and my beloved dog died within a few days of one another so my emotions were running even higher.

Unfortunately despite all our best efforts Georgie's breathing really deteriorated and he reached crisis point. He had consumed the entire oxygen cylinder and we needed more...and fast! For Georgie it was quite literally a matter of life or death. Being a Friday afternoon and having exhausted all other avenues (including our usual oxygen supplier) we had given up all hope. We watched as the pressure gauge on our cylinder was running into the red. Thanks to a very quick thinking brother and sister we contacted Dive Crew in Crowthorne. The team there went beyond the call of duty to help and within the blink of an eye they delivered a tank of oxygen that quite literally saved the day! 

All our combined efforts finally paid off as Georgie's heart condition is now stable and he's off the oxygen and back to his usual self. All thanks to thinking outside the box and some rather unusual team work!  We were touched by Dive Crew's generosity - it's just heartwarming to meet other local people and businesses who also genuinely care enough to bend over backwards to help people and animals in their hour of need. We will forever remember the role they played in ensuring Georgie yet again had the best chance of survival possible!     
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Georgie makes the news:   SportDiver article              Get Reading article                  Bracknell News article