Bristol cat survives falling from fourth-floor flat

A cat has made a miraculous recovery after falling from a fourth-floor flat.

Melanie Woodward, 38, found her black and white cat, Oreo, in her neighbour's yard, after it had climbed out of her window in Redcliffe Hill, in Bristol.

She said she was "heartbroken", as she suffers from ill-health and her husband is her carer, which meant they could not afford the veterinary treatment.

However, staff at veterinary charity PDSA Bristol "saved the day" for the family by operating on the rescue pet.

The one-year-old cat had opened a window that was left slightly ajar in her owners' flat, in July, and fell a distance of 50ft (15metres).

Ms Woodward said she was confused as to why her "friendly" cat, who "always comes into the bedroom for a bit of fuss in the morning" was nowhere to be found.

She searched the entire property before finding her in the downstairs neighbour's yard.

Oreo needed a long series of treatments, but because of the couple's situation, they had to "watch every penny" due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis

"The days where my husband and I have to miss meals to ensure the children and Oreo are able to eat are becoming more and more frequent," she said.

"We rescued Oreo before all the bills went through the roof and she has quickly become the centre of our family, we all adore her."

Staff at the charity offered to help and monitored her throughout the healing process.

PDSA Bristol vet Penny Morgan said: "Little Oreo's injuries were very serious. Her legs were badly hurt and she had sustained severe bruising.

"After two weeks we made the decision to operate because her fractures weren't healing as quickly as we'd have liked.

"We performed a complex surgical procedure to repair her legs, fitting metal plates to each of them."

The surgery was a success, Oreo's injuries are now healing well and a full recovery is expected.

Mrs Woodward said that being able to access PDSA's services when the family were "absolutely desperate was incredible".

"I will never forget the kindness and compassion that the whole team showed not only to Oreo but also to myself and my family. We will all be forever grateful."

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]