Predator attack believed to have wounded kitten discovered with bug-infested infection in Quesnel: BC SPCA

Nearly one month after a little kitten with a big infection was discovered in Quesnel, the North Cariboo BC SPCA is seeking donations to support the animal’s major medical journey.

Tilly the tiny black cat was just 10 weeks old when a Good Samaritan spotted her along the shore of Dragon Lake on July 23, according to Colby O’Flynn, the centre’s senior manager.

In a statement issued Monday, O’Flynn explained that a woman who lives near the lake saw Tilly from her bedroom window and then she and her husband coaxed the kitten out from under a boat dock with some food. Because Tily was covered in insects, the couple wrapped her up in a blanket and brought her into the BC SPCA.

“The first thing we noticed, even before we brought her out of the carrier, was the smell of infection,” says O’Flynn. “She was cold, pale, dehydrated and barely able to lift her little head.”

Tilly required urgent intervention, according to the release, and was driven to an emergency veterinarian 90 minutes away for assessment.

A large wound, which the BC SPCA believes resulted from an exchange with a predator, was discovered on the kitten after she was shaved.

For the first few days after Tilly was rescued, the statement explains that she wasn’t stable enough for surgery, and it wasn’t possible to close her wound due to a lack of tissue and a surplus of inflammation and infection.

Eventually, the kitten underwent surgery and is healing well—although she will require more surgery in the near future.

On top of the infected wound, Tilly’s tail was badly injured and will be amputated when the kitten is spayed in the coming weeks.

If her procedures go as planned, O’Flynn estimates Tilly’s treatment total will be around $4,100.

The BC SPCA says Pesecure Pet Health Insurance was so moved by the kitten’s story that it’s offered to match up to $3,000 in donations towards Tilly’s care.

“Tilly was tiny, terrified and weak, yet she somehow managed to pick herself up and find help,” says O’Flynn. “Right now, she is on medication to make her comfortable, so we have not had the chance to see her fun and playful side yet, but we have all fallen in love with the affectionate little love-bug.”

Tilly is expected to be available for adoption sometime in early September.