Birmingham vets help paralysed cat walk again

The referral hospital has seen over 7,000 pet patients since it opened its doors in November 2023, including over 2,000 cats. Pets and their owners are referred to Blaise by their local daytime vet practice when they need more specialised treatment, such as oncology for pets with cancer or cardiology for heart issues.

One of its most recent feline patients is Geralt, a four-year-old Maine Coon cat who was facing death after suddenly becoming paralysed due to a rare spinal infection.

Owner Samantha Smith feared her beloved pet, who is a treasured connection to her late granddad, would have to be put to sleep after he collapsed in front of her.

But specialist vet Marios Charalambous was able to pinpoint a rare spinal infection usually seen in dogs. And, having been unable to even crawl, Geralt is now looking as good as ever after treatment.

“If you saw him now, you’d never know anything had ever happened,” said mum-of-three Samantha. “We thought we were going to lose him and if it hadn’t been for Marios and his team we wouldn’t have him now. He’s such a beautiful, chatty, loving big boy and it’s as if he’s come back from the dead.”

Pure white Geralt is the favourite of Samantha’s five cats and is extra special as he was bought from an inheritance left by her grandparents.

“I was working from home and on a call with my bosses when Geralt walked towards me and just collapsed at my feet,” said Samantha. “He couldn’t get up and I was absolutely petrified. I panicked and rushed him to my vets, Mansion Hill in Middleton Cheney, thinking he’d maybe had a stroke or a seizure.

“After checks they said he needed specialist help and when they referred me to Blaise, I drove him straight there.”

Geralt was admitted to the state-of-the-art hospital, which is part of nationwide vet network My Family Vets, but his condition was so serious Samantha was initially warned that he may well not survive.

“Geralt was unable to move his hind legs and if we hadn’t acted he would either have died from the disease or would have to be put to sleep,” said neurology specialist Dr Charalambous.

“We did a variety of scans and tests that showed this condition. It’s an extremely rare case, which I have only seen previously in dogs, never in cats.”

The neurology team were able to identify the bacteria responsible and pinpoint an antibiotic which might be effective, although the likelihood of success was low.

“After the MRI scan when we’d been told it probably wouldn’t be a good outcome, I literally cried all night,” said Samantha.

“I thought Blaise would be calling the next morning to talk to us about saying goodbye, but when Marios said it looked like an infection at least I felt there was some hope.

“When we saw Geralt, he couldn’t even move but they gave him the antibiotics and I was at least able to take him home. The improvement was unbelievable.

“He was walking a little in just a couple of days and within three weeks he was walking perfectly fine. We are so grateful to Blaise and for Marios for believing in Geralt and giving him every chance when others might not.”

Geralt has continued his remarkable recovery and the latest check at Blaise showed everything was virtually normal.

“This was one of the most severe cases I have seen, and the first in a cat,” added Dr Charalambous. “It’s lovely to see how well Geralt is looking and even when the prognosis seems poor, it shows it can always be worth trying to do something.”

Hospital Director Julie Davis says she is incredibly proud of the hospital team and all they have achieved over the last year in treating cases like Geralt’s: "It's been a fantastic first year for Blaise Veterinary Referrals and we’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response from both pet owners and local vets. We have an incredible and dedicated team of experts here and we look forward to many more years of supporting the local community and helping pets like Geralt get the best care they possibly can.”

For more information, visit blaise-referrals.com.