Lucky black cat survives fourth floor flat plunge after escaping through window
A lucky black cat who fell four floors from an apartment window miraculously survived the plunge and is now on the mend.
Two-year-old Atlas suffered a shattered jaw after the terrifying fall from her East London home, landing in the communal garden below. Her owner Alisha Pati-Alam was heartbroken to find the pet injured, with blood coming from her mouth. But thanks to the "amazing" team at Goddard Veterinary Group's Wanstead Veterinary Hospital, she lived to tell the "tail".
Atlas had a complex fracture of her lower jaw and also suffered lung damage in the fall. She underwent surgery to reconstruct her jaw, with the veterinary team using 3D printing technology to aid her recovery. Scans of the animal's jaw were used to create 3D replicas of her bones, which acted as guides for the surgery.
The 3D replicas of Atlas’s jaw that were used in her surgery (VetPartners)John Gardner, a vet at Wanstead Veterinary Hospital, said the 3D bone models helped the veterinary team to realign the jaw in the correct position. It was then repaired using metal plates and screws. The hospital's surgeons regularly use guides for corrective surgery, such as to correct limb deformities. However, this was the first time they had a model created for a patient with a fracture.
Dr Gardner said: "The bone models gave us confidence that we were aligning Atlas's teeth and jaw correctly, to ensure we could reconstruct a working joint that is comfortable and allows her to eat normally. Using the guides also reduced surgery time, meaning Atlas was in theatre for two hours instead of three."
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
After a successful operation, Atlas spent four days in hospital, where she was cared for round the clock by the dedicated team, and she is now on the path to a full recovery. Dr Gardner added: "I'm really pleased with how well Atlas's surgery went. Post-operative X-rays showed that we successfully placed the jaw in the perfect position and she's now back home where she's eating well and putting on weight. Due to the metal plates that were used to repair her jaw her chin is slightly more prominent but this won't affect her long-term and she will be able to live a normal, happy life."
Atlas' owner Alisha Pati-Alam revealed that the house cat escaped through an open window and fell into a communal garden below. She said: "When I realised Atlas was missing, I looked out of the window and could see her far down below. I rushed downstairs and was relieved that she was breathing and her eyes were open but I could tell she was badly injured because she was bleeding from her mouth. The accident happened on a Sunday evening and my usual vet referred me to Wanstead Veterinary Hospital."
"Everyone at the hospital was amazing and when I arrived there was a team of nurses waiting to meet me and take Atlas through to be examined by the vet. It was a really worrying time because I didn't know what the outcome would be, but the team were very caring and helpful."
Atlas needed to be stabilised and her lung injuries treated before she was well enough to undergo surgery, and the operation on her jaw took place four days later. Alisha said: "When the accident happened, I was so scared I was going to lose Atlas, but thanks to the team at Wanstead Veterinary Hospital she's back to her old self." She has full function of her jaw and is eating very well. I am a doctor and found the use of the 3D bone models fascinating - I'm aware of it being used in human medicine, but didn't realise they also used this technology for animals."
"While Atlas was in hospital the team was great and kept me really well informed. I could visit every day and the reception team was especially kind and always asked how I was doing. They obviously love animals because they work at a vet practice, but the care they gave Atlas was exceptional."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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