Anyone who thinks black cats are synonymous with bad luck has never met Kevin.
Three weeks ago, on a dark and rainy morning in Burnaby, the three-year-old feline was sitting wounded by the side of a road when it caught the eye of truck driver Dennis McDonald.
Distraught for the helpless cat, the burly, big-hearted trucker stopped his five-tonne rig and turned around – potentially saving the animal’s life in the process.
“His face was hanging to one side, he was disoriented, he was bleeding all over. It was pretty gruesome,” McDonald said. “I knew if he had any chance, it was now.”
McDonald delivered Kevin, who had been hit by a car and was suffering injuries to his upper and lower jaw, straight to the Burnaby SCPA branch. But the black cat’s luck didn’t end there.
Staff immediately contacted Burnaby Veterinary Hospital, which helped secure pro-bono treatment for Kevin from a local animal dental clinic.
“I pulled a lot of strings with West Coast Veterinary Dental Services and we got the surgery done that same day,” said Dr. Claudia Richter. “It was all donated.”
Richter also agreed to cover after-care expenses.
She said when all is said and done, Kevin might have an asymmetrical face and decreased hearing from a ruptured eardrum, but he should be in for a good life.
McDonald will be doing his best to ensure that happens – after Kevin was surrendered by his owner, the trucker stepped up once again to give him a new home.
McDonald, who already has cats in his family, said he feels he was meant to cross paths with his furry new friend.
“It sort of felt like we intersected at the right time and the right moment. Fast action is why he’s here,” he said.
McDonald said he’s a big Star Wars fan, and that since Kevin has arguably used up one of his nine lives, he’s planning to rename him BB-8.
He also offered a message to anyone who spots an injured animal by the side of the road: “Don’t hesitate to stop, because you never know.”
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Shannon Paterson
