Mother is forced to spend Centrelink payments on vet bills

The mother of a woman whose ‘life was saved’ by her mental health therapy cat has now been forced to spend her welfare payments on expensive vet bills after it was mauled by a dog.

Frances Micallef said Truffles, a short-hair tortoiseshell cat, helped her through some of her darkest times before the feline was pulled off a fence and ‘thrown around like a rag doll’ at a home in Melbourne earlier this month.

‘When I wasn’t feeling well, she even learned to open my door and come in and sit with me. She became my best friend. She saved my life,’ she told Star Weekly.  

Frances Micallef (pictured) her two-year-old cat helped her through some of her darkest times

After the savage attack, the young woman’s mother rushed Truffles to the nearest vet and emptied her bank account. 

‘I took her to the vet in a horrible state and they couldn’t do much without a large payment… I gave them all the money I had, which was $200,’ Mrs Micallef said. 

Once Truffles was stabilised, Mrs Micallef carried her to a nearby animal hospital where she underwent life-saving surgery.  

The two-year-old cat needed her spleen removed, while she also suffered broken ribs, a dislocated hip and a leaking lung.  

Truffles, a short-hair tortoiseshell cat, was pulled off a fence and 'thrown around like a rag doll' at a home in Melbourne earlier this month

Truffles, a short-hair tortoiseshell cat, was pulled off a fence and ‘thrown around like a rag doll’ at a home in Melbourne earlier this month

Medical expenses have already reached $5,000, and Mrs Micallef said the cat would require round-the-clock treatment for many months to come.

‘I have a disability and rely on my Centrelink… I have $100 come out of my Centrelink each week to pay the vet, but that leaves me with $50 to feed me and my daughter,’ Mrs Micallef said.  

The Pet Medical Crisis Fund has contributed $1,000 towards Truffles’ vet bills and the charity is accepting donations.  

'I have $100 come out of my Centrelink each week to pay the vet, but that leaves me with $50 to feed me and my daughter,' Mrs Micallef said (stock)

‘I have $100 come out of my Centrelink each week to pay the vet, but that leaves me with $50 to feed me and my daughter,’ Mrs Micallef said (stock)



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