Sheffield cats: 'Miracle' nine-month-old kitten brought back to life after road traffic collision
A nine-month-old kitten was “brought back to life” after his owner found him collapsed outside the house after an apparent car accident.
Animal charity PDSA shared the story of Tom the ginger cat as one of its “miracles of 2025.”
One night last summer, Tom ventured outside from his family home for his usual evening stroll, but he failed to return as normal, leaving his loving owner, Lee Siddall, with a gut feeling something was wrong.
Lee said: “I felt a sudden sinking feeling when Tom wasn't home, he’d never normally disappear for that amount of time, and likes to greet me in the morning.
“Not long after, I found Tom collapsed outside the house. I knew he was badly hurt – he could barely move.
“I frantically called PDSA’s emergency line and rushed him straight there.”
At Sheffield PDSA Pet Hospital, on Newhall Road, the team wasted no time assessing his injuries.
Vet nurse team leader Laura Windle said: “Tom was in a state of shock. He had blood around his mouth, was breathing much faster than normal, had some swelling under his chest and tummy area and couldn’t stand on his back legs.”
Tom was moved to the operating room for emergency surgery. There, it became clear just how life-threatening his injuries were. When the operation started, the vets saw his liver had been torn, and a hernia had caused his body wall muscles to separate from his rib. He also had a small hole in his diaphragm.
With Tom’s life at stake, the vet team worked carefully to repair his injuries during an incredibly complex and high-risk procedure.
Partway through the surgery, things took a terrifying turn when Tom stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest
Despite the odds, the vet team managed to resuscitate him and restart his heart.
Fortunately, Tom made it through the rest of his surgery and was carefully moved to the feline recovery area for round-the-clock care.
Tom's condition was serious, his life hung in the balance, and the vet team knew there was still a long way to go. Tom had a very tricky first night in recovery, but, the following day, the vet team were thrilled to see him standing on all four paws.
Once the team felt happy with his progress, they discharged him to continue his medication and rest at home.
Less than a month after his accident, the vet team signed Tom off from further treatment and branded him a “little miracle” for surviving such a traumatic ordeal.