It was 31st May, 1995, and it seemed like a pretty normal day. I woke up, fed the cats as per usual, and then, as I looked out of the window, I saw a difference.
On the roadside, there was a squirrel which appeared to be dead. As it was off the road, we decided to leave it where it was.
I had a driving lesson that day, late morning / early afternoon, and happily drove off. It was on my return when things really started to happen...
I noticed that the 'dead' squirrel had moved nearer to our garden. On asking Mum if she had moved it, she said she hadn't, so I decided to investigate.
When I walked up to the squirrel, I noticed he was still breathing. He couldn't walk, but was dragging his back legs along the ground as he moved. I carefully picked him up, took him inside, and did a little bandaging job on him. He looked quite sweet with his legs in tights to keep the bandage on!! :)
When Dad came home from work that evening, we took Cyril, as he was called, to the vet. They said that he was paralysed from the waist down, suffering from shock, and they didn't expect him to make it through the night :( They also said that if he did make it, to take him back in the morning, and they'd see what they could do for him :)
That night Cyril 'slept' in my room. He had a box for a bed, with a sheet in it to keep him warm, and some water and food by his head. Don't think either of us slept that night. I could hear him scuttling around, which re-assured me he was alive, but it made me worry that he might hurt himself :( I eventually got up at 5am to watch him before we had to go back to the vet.
Dad dropped me off in town on the way to work. The vet wasn't open yet. I took a few pictures of Cyril, just incase. Then I took him to a half-surprised, but delighted, vet :)
We had a phone call at lunch-time. It was the vet. She said that Cyril might not make it, and asked if I wanted something done about him then, or if I wanted to hang on for a while and see what happened. As there was still a chance of survival, I asked them to wait and see what happened...
Just over an hour or so later, we had another phone call from the vet. They said that Cyril's breathing was now very laboured, and the kindest thing to do for him, would be to have him put down. They said they wouldn't do anything without my permission though. I had to let him go :~(
R.I.P. Cyril - the cutest squirrel yet :)
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