From Paralysis to Purrs: Wally’s Journey Home
Ask any Tassie pet parent what they dread most about summer, and the answer is often the same: Snakes.
It’s the fear that lurks in the long grass or down by the creek. But this year, our very first snake bite of the season didn’t happen on a bushwalk it was discovered in a rumpus room….
This is the story of Wally, a brave cat, a worried family, and our first life-or-death snake bite battle fought (and won) in our brand-new clinic building.
Not the kind of ribbon cutting we planned …. but this is where Wally’s story begins….
The Friday Morning Mystery
The phone rang at 8:00 am on a Friday. “There’s something wrong with Wally,” his owner said, her voice tight with worry. “He’s trying to get up but stumbling… and he’s making this horrible meow.”
To our team, the symptoms sounded suspiciously like a snake bite. But there was a confusing catch, Wally had been in the rumpus room overnight with no access to the outside.
This left his family (and us) with a worrying puzzle:
Maybe it wasn’t a snake bite at all…
Maybe it was another toxin…
Maybe he’d been injured, but no signs of trauma…
Or….worst case….maybe he’d been bitten 12 hours earlier, a long head start for snake venom.
In the world of snake venom, time is everything. Antivenom works best administered early so arriving 12 hours late is like arriving late to a marathon and still hoping to win.
Our team prepped the treatment area before Wally arrived. Then blood tests confirmed our fears, it was a snake bite.
The venom had a massive head start.
It was already breaking down his muscles and affecting his ability to move. But Wally had a few things on his side.
He was young, strong, and otherwise very healthy.
His owner adored him.
He had a dedicated vet team ready to fight for him.
He was now in a state-of-the-art facility designed for exactly this kind of battle.
Perhaps most importantly, he was a cat. (Cats statistically survive snake bites better than dogs. Don’t tell the dogs.)
Antivenom was administered immediately, but the venom had already had half a day to wreak havoc.
Within a few hours, Wally had stabilised but was far from out of danger. Paralysed from the venom, he couldn’t move. Snake venom is a nasty cocktail, it breaks down muscle, paralyses the nervous system, and interferes with blood clotting.
The battle to save Wally’s life now relied on intensive nursing care and support:
Temperature checks
Heart and lung monitoring
Pain relief and fluids
Cleaning, turning, and toileting
Watching for new complications
Whispering small pep-talks (not medically essential, but good for morale)
Our new ICU ward also earned its keep, providing a temperature controlled environment with oxygen support and healing red-light therapy.
A bit of hope and some post weekend wobbles..
Saturday and Sunday, Wally was still with us, blinking, purring… a slight head tilt…. we all felt a flicker of hope.
But then on Monday, he crashed.
He developed a fever and pneumonia. His exhausted body was now fighting on two fronts: the venom and the infection. His blood work started slipping backward.
Seeing her once-vibrant cat lying limp, Wally’s mum asked the question that breaks every pet owner's heart,
“Am I doing this for him… or am I just doing this for me?”
The room went quiet. Dr. Louise looked at the team. We weren't ready to give up. We placed a feeding tube and decided, as a team, to give him another 24 hours of full nutritional support.
Morale was low. We dreaded the possibility that our best might not be enough……..
Then, our clinic leader, Joh, walked in. Having run a practice in South Australia (a snake-bite hotspot), he has seen hundreds of these cases. He took one look at Wally and said confidently,
“He’s still fighting. So shall we.”
Dr Joh’s statement reset the room.
The next day at noon, Wally’s mum arrived. Wally was slightly better but not out of the woods yet!
She reached into his ICU cubical and gave his head a loving and gentle scratch, Wally meant the world to her.
And then, something extraordinary happened.
Wally opened his beautiful emerald eyes, gathered every ounce of strength he had left, and rolled over to expose his belly, inviting more pats.
The team collectively burst into tears.
This was not the behaviour of a cat giving up. This was a cat saying,
“I’m not done yet, thank you very much!”
From that moment, Wally improved in leaps and bounds, He sat up, he stood, he used his litter tray, he demanded snacks and ……… he rediscovered this dignity ….. (well sort of!)
Today, Wally is back home, our first "new clinic" snake-bite survivor.
Wally’s story is a powerful reminder for all Tassie pet owners:
Snake bites are a true emergency, every minute counts.
Cats can and do survive, with rapid treatment.
The journey can be long, emotional, and full of ups and downs.
And sometimes, all it takes is one belly-roll of determination to turn everything around.
Wally: 1
Snake: 0
Teamwork, science, and cat-powered stubbornness: UNDEFEATED!
