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First Mission
Teams consist of a driver and a co-driver. Both rescue animals, but one drives and the other deals with the admin whilst they’re being driven around. You can guess which one does which. The co-driver uses a tablet which lists the call-outs as they come in, though sometimes the centralist gives a gentle nudge or phone call if the co-driver hasn’t seen there’s a rescue planned in. For my first few shifts I was going to be the second co-driver gaining a feel for what’s it’s like in the ambulance and rescuing animals.
The first call of the day came in after hours of sorting donated clothes and tidying up around the building. I buzzed with excitement and a sense of urgency – but I was also conscious of something I heard on a Netflix series (paraphrased):
“We shouldn’t look forward to these rescues because for some animal it’s the worst day of their life.”
I donned my jacket, sprang into the ambulance and waited impatiently for the driver and co-driver. It seemed to last an eternity, made all the worse because I’d already learned that we’re not allowed to drive over the speed limit, let alone put on the sirens (which admittedly makes sense; there’s no driver training as there is with the emergency services). Eventually the three of us were snuggled up cosily in the front of the ambulance and we set off to rescue a cat with a broken back paw who’d been run over by a car.
Beware! Cats don’t have 9 lives.
Hurt and afraid, she hid in thick bushes away from further danger. Local residents called us in for help, but the young cat ran away as we approached. I spotted her under a nearby (and thankfully parked) car, and whilst I talked to her gently to calm her down, the ambulance driver went back to the van to get a net.
My calm voice didn’t do it – the net came and the cat went. She ran away and hid under another car – the little thing could outrun 10 nearby residents and 3 ambulance crew even with a broken leg! Naturally, she was under the exact centre of the vehicle (although a child nearby told me they thought she was slightly to the left! 😊; everyone was keen to help! ) This time we surrounded the car so she couldn’t escape. But she’s a cat so of course she outwitted us and escaped easily, running back into the cover of the bushes. Nearly 20 of us followed (she was attracting attention from more residents!) and surrounded the bush.
I never thought I’d see anyone doing the breast stroke in bushes, but there’s a first time for everything. The ambulance driver peeled the thick bushes apart deftly to the side, and picked up our patient. A whoop from the residents, then in she went into the ambulance where we read her chip and contacted her owner who agreed we could take her straight to the vet.
Chipping cats is important!
