Darwin survives gun attack and is named Rescue Cat of the Year

Darwin survives gun attack and is named Rescue Cat of the Year

25 October 2017

A CAT who defied the odds and survived after being blasted in the face by a shotgun has been named Rescue Cat of the Year.

Darwin came to international attention after suffering extensive facial injuries in the attack in April and enduring 12 weeks of operations to make a recovery.

The five year-old Maine Coon cat lives with Alison and Mark Ware at TC’s Forever Home, the cat sanctuary the couple have devoted their lives to in Dundrum.  He was adopted at the age of six months when his elderly owners could no longer cope.

As one of 19 cats — all of whom have been adopted because they are elderly, disabled, have special needs or terminally ill — Darwin has established a role of helping settle new cats and provide nurturing for any cat who needs it.

In the shotgun attack six months ago, lead shot blew a hole in the roof of Darwin’s mouth up into his face, shattering his upper jaw and gum so that there was nothing left on the upper left side.  He underwent several operations and almost died in Alison’s arms twice, but both he and the vets fought incredibly hard, and 12 weeks to the day since his accident Darwin was recovered. 

And apart from what they refer to as his little Elvis lip and a tendency to dribble, it is impossible to believe he was so badly hurt. Social media has given Darwin worldwide support, with his story featuring on Instagram as #toughestcatintheworld and #fightfordarwin.

Now Darwin has been voted Royal Canin Rescue Cat of the Year for 2017 in a public vote, which will see him receiving a hamper of Royal Canin goodies, while Alison and Mark will receive enough food to feed all their cats for a month.

Alison said dealing with Darwin’s shotgun attack had been a traumatic experience.

“It was like going to hell and back,” said Alison. “It was like one of our children got shot in the face and then not being able to find out who did it. Clearly somebody out there knows something.

“Darwin’s profile shot up on social media at the time. Five million people around the world saw what happened and there was a lot of support from home.

“It took Darwin 12 weeks of operations to get physically better and he still has one minor operation to go,” she said. “Psychologically he has not been the same. He craves an awful lot of attention. He has had six operations and the seventh is for the roof of his mouth.

“But we are so proud of Darwin, he’s come through so much and still remained his magnificent, beautiful self.  He really is a very special cat, and clearly sees himself as having a duty to look after us and the other cats, especially when a new one arrives.”

Alison and Mark started their cat sanctuary in 2015 and say it is a full-time job. “We are life-long cat lovers,” she said. “There are 19 cats so you have to be there 24/7, 365 days of the year. You have to make sure they get an equal amount of attention and love. There is also a process you have to go through when introducing a new cat.

“People who do not spend time with cats may not fully appreciate them. But when you do spend time with a cat, you get to appreciate their personality and soul.”

Alison added: “To have won enough food for a month is a significant prize for us. We are part of the local cat rescue community, and we usually fundraise through things like car boot sales and quiz nights for everything we need.  Feeding 19 cats a month is a huge element of our costs, and because our cats are all quite sensitive in different ways we put huge emphasis on top quality food.”

Details of how to make a donation to TC’s Forever Home can be found on their Facebook page. Donations can also be made to their vets Flynnvets, Saintfield Road, Belfast, on 028 9079 9500. Ask to donate to the account named Alison Ware.