An escaped Savannah cat called Blaze was rescued from a back garden after suffering a gunshot wound and has now reportedly had its paw amputated
A runaway big cat that caused a desperate hunt across the Norfolk countryside has reportedly had to have its paw amputated after it was shot while on the run.
The Savannah cat, named Blaze, fled from its home in Norwich back in May and was spotted roaming the fields near the town of Bramerton.
The hybrid species, which is a cross between the wild African serval and a regular domestic cat, was also mistaken for a ‘small leopard” by one dog walker, leading to a massive search for the creature across the entire county.
At some point Blaze appears to have been shot, with rescuers discovering gunshot wounds on both his chest and his paw, with the latter requiring amputation.
After more than a month roaming the Norfolk countryside, Blaze was eventually captured after being spotted sitting in a plant pot in a Bramerton back garden, four miles from his home.
Wildlife rescuer Kevin Murphy of Norfolk Wildlife Rescue was the man who managed to safely rescue the creature.
He told the BBC about the capture attempt, saying: “A lady came down the road and said, ‘Are you the cat man?’ Then I saw the cat sitting in a plant pot.
“The daughter went behind the greenhouse to get its attention and started making cat sounds, and I thought, ‘This is going to be my only chance.’ I netted it.”
Sadly, Kevin discovered Blaze had suffered multiple gunshot wounds during a previous altercation.
He explained: “We believe it’s been shot. His owner thinks it’s a gunshot because there were metal fragments in the wound. Was it a shotgun, buckshot, a proper bullet or an air rifle? We don’t know yet.”
He added that the injuries suggested the projectile may have ricocheted before striking the cat. The vet thinks whatever it was shot with ricocheted and hit its chest too.”
Despite surviving for several weeks in the wild, Blaze’s injuries were deemed to be so severe that vets had no choice but to amputate the damaged paw, and Murphy said he was amazed the animal had survived at all.
He added: “How it survived with a broken paw, I don’t know, because it needs five meals a day.”