Ben...a little black and white hero:)

Its been quite the month here at BMM and this week has really tested us all.  On Tuesday night, our neighbour called to say one of our cats was stuck up a tree.  On further investigation we discovered it was Ben, one of a family of four feral cats who found a home here at BMM from Toronto Cat Rescue.  Some of you will remember a post earlier this summer about Ben's brother, Jake who also found himself in a tree predicament!  Apparently it runs in the family as Ben was not making any attempt to get down.  What made the situation worse was this tree was a poplar and looked like a telephone pole with no branches to help him down.  We tried everything to coax him, but the poor guy was terrified. 

This went on for 2 days and by Thursday we were getting desperate.  We borrowed a ladder and found a brave soul to go up it, but Ben was just too scared and climbed right to the top of the tree.  Thursday evening saw about 10 of us rigging up tarps in case he fell, but Ben clung on and spent a very scary night swinging wildly in the wind.

By Friday afternoon, Ben was getting weaker and we knew something had to be done to get him out of the tree.  Once again our neighbour stepped in and climbed the pine tree next to Ben.  When he got near, Ben lost his grip on the branch and he watched in horror as Ben tumbled 80ft to the ground.

Remarkably, Ben survived the fall and was in good spirits.  He was unable to move his legs and we knew at least one leg was broken, but he was bright and purring and enjoyed several small meals.  Fearing the worst, we made him comfortable for the night and planned to take him to the vet this morning.  None of us got much sleep.

By the time we made it to the clinic this morning, Ben showed more signs of movement and we were optimistic that we weren't there to say goodbye.  The story gets better - not only did Ben survive the fall, but he only broke one bone!!!!  Ben is not out of the woods yet and we are waiting to see if there is any long-term neurological damage.  Currently, he is unable to support himself and has a splint on his broken leg, but this is changing all the time as he regains his strength and the swelling subsides.  Ben's attitude is nothing short of inspirational and although he has a long road ahead of him, we feel positive he will make it and this story will have a positive ending.

Today we discovered here is another amazing thing about Ben - when the vet took x-rays this morning, she discovered his entire body is peppered with buckshot.  Dr. Tracy feels this happened to him a couple of years ago due to all the scar tissue surrounding it.  This cat has clearly been through much more than we ever knew.

Watch this space for updates on Ben's progress:)

Ben and Bungee