Get me one for the road

ANOTHER night on call and another phone call to break my sleep.

The caller was on his way home from the pub and, judging by his slurred voice, must have plotted a meandering course.

But for all he was drunk, he was also kind – he had spotted a cat dragging its back legs behind it and sloping from underneath one parked car to another.

“I think it’s been hit by a car,” was the pub-goer’s diagnosis. “I think you’re right. Where is the cat?” I asked. “It’s in a hedge now,” he replied.

Run

I sensed it would be a long night and headed to meet the man, who promised to be standing opposite the pub, next to a hedge in which, we both hoped, the cat would still be sitting.

I didn’t have great hopes as I’d done similar things before.

Wild animals such as deer or badgers, while in dire need of treatment after car collisions, usually run off as soon as the vet’s car pulls up.

“I’ll see you in about 15 minutes,” I promised and headed off to save the day. Well, save the night.

Julian is appearing in Help The Animals At Christmas on December 21 at 8pm on Channel 5.