Cat survives 18-storey fall

Local resident Amy Thompson is appealing for support after her three-year-old cat Charlie miraculously survived an 18-storey fall from her Southbank apartment.

The Whiteman St resident returned home from work in early April to discover Charlie missing from her apartment. After realising that she’d accidently left her balcony door open, she immediately feared the worst.

“I got home and realised he wasn’t here so I went down and grabbed the concierge,” Amy said “He grabbed a torch and there is a ledge over a metre high where the garden is so he got up there and shone the torch and spotted him there.”

While Charlie was still alive, he had suffered both a fractured jaw and leg for his troubles. Thanks to some kind neighbours in her building, who helped get Charlie off the roof and drive he and Amy to a 24-hour vet clinic in Kensington, he was saved.

However, with his severe injuries have come severe bills for Amy, which between vet surgery and associated medical costs, have totalled north of $6000.

“His jaw is fractured on both sides and in the middle,” she said. “It had to be stabilised with pins and that stuff on the outside just holds them in place. There are pins in the fracture in his leg and the splint keeps his toe straight.”

“He’s eating out of a tube because he’s not allowed to get anything in his mouth from the risk of infection.”

Amy said that the challenge of caring for her friend through his recovery had taken its toll on her, but that she was confident that he would be back to his usual “playful” self soon.

“We’re aiming to raise $5000 but if it went over that I’d be happy. I’m grateful for anything and it’s helped already,” she said.

“I just hope his jaw goes back to normal. That is the big concern. He’s got chipped teeth as well so they might have to come out but they can do without them. All these ongoing costs and potential risks and more costs is what I didn’t know so that’s a bit stressful.”

Amy has set up a crowdfunding page to help subsidise her losses over Charlie’s accident, which she said had already received some generous support.

To donate to Charlie: au.gofundme.com/My-cat-Charlie-fell-from-18-floors