Hit By A Car On The Peninsula, This Cat Survived All Odds

BURLINGAME, CA — A cat who "survived against all odds" is in need of a new forever home and Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA officials are hoping a loving family will step forward. Dubbed 'Toa' by shelter staff — which means ‘warrior’ in Maori — the 2-year-old male cat had a broken jaw and injured right eye when he was found on the side of the road after being hit by a car in Daly City.

"On February 26, we received a call from a Good Samaritan who found a seriously injured cat on the side of the road in Daly City," said PHS/SCPA’s Communications Manager Buffy Martin Tarbox. "The Good Samaritan was walking with his dog when the dog ran up to something on the side of the road, which turned out to be the wounded cat. The cat was in shock, had a broken jaw and was bleeding from his mouth. He was in such bad shape, we didn’t expect him to survive, but with our dedicated and specialized care he did."

Martin Tarbox says veterinary staff rushed the feline into surgery, where they wired his jaw and lower lip.

"Despite the severity of his injuries, the cat came through the surgery well," she said in a news release.

The cat needed a feeding tube following the surgery, but he slowly began to improve, she said. He can now eat on his own and he gained his current name for his fighting spirit.

"Even though the cat was suffering from life-threatening and painful injuries, he would still purr and knead," Tarbox said. "He was such a fighter, our staff named him Toa..."

No one came forward to claim the cat, which was placed in foster care and has now been brought to the PHS/SPCA adoption center at 1450 Rollins Road in Burlingame to be made available for adoption.

"Although Toa looks like a battle scarred cat, he is very sweet and friendly, " Tarbox said. "He's been through a lot and we want to find him a new home where he will be safe and loved."

Toa is neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, and his adoption fee is $80, according to the PHS/SPCA.