Lovely Butler came into care at Cats Protection West Norfolk Cat Centre on the 26th of April 2024. He came into our care as his owner had moved & was unable to take him to their new home.

Upon his first vet check we discovered Butler to have nasal discharge from his left nostril, consistent with signs of Cat Flu, it was also discovered that he required dental treatment due to severe gum recession & visible tooth roots.

In conjunction with our vet treatment was given & once Butler was fit enough we decided dental x-rays should also include the nasal area, as well as carrying out a nasal flush to see if this would resolve the ongoing nasal blockage. Upon x-ray, we found the unimaginable! An air gun pellet was located above Butler's upper tooth, with small fragments along the route of impact, with no visible entry point. This suggested Butler had been shot some time ago & the wound had healed over. A nasal flush initially seemed to improve the discharge from his left nostril.

However he then became unwell with further flu symptoms, the centre team & vets rallied to give him extra care and treatment needed to get him through this episode and we were then able to see his true character really flourish, with many of the team wrapped around his paw giving the 121 care & attention he needed & being rewarded with meow’s & padding paws as he began to improve. Whilst we spoke to our vets and sought advice from our fabulous Field Veterinary Officers Helen & Isobel to assess the best way forward for Butlers long term quality of life. We agreed surgery to remove the pellet was the best option for lovely Butler and that there had been another similar case within Cats Protection, which had a successful outcome. We gathered all the information & clinical notes to assess the best way to tackle this surgery, more x-rays were carried out to give the vet markers to pinpoint the pellet. Two months after admission, lovely Butler had complex surgery removing two teeth and the airgun pellet.

After a long course of antibiotics & pain relief, extra care and attention Butler is now ready for rehoming and looking for a kind soul who can give him the home he deserves! Butler is a happy and loving boy with a particular love of chin rubs!

The costs of the multiple X-rays, 2 surgical procedures, medications & many examinations over the course of Butler recovery came to over £2000

Any help you can give to help care for Butler will be much appreciated, each donation makes such a difference to the care we can give to the cats here.

Any monies over this amount will be used to care for other cats here at West Norfolk Cat Centre. Your support will not only help Butler but also contribute to caring for other cats in need at our centre.

Thank you for your support.

Cats Protection help more cats than any other organisation and we want to help millions more. We are a dedicated community of passionate employees, volunteers, supporters and partners, working together to make life better for millions of cats and the people who care for them.

We are the voice of cats in society and we speak up for their protection.

We’re working towards a society where every cat is treated with kindness and respect.

Making a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

Find out more: www.cats.org.uk