Staying informed and on top of current events has its downside. There’s lots of news you would really rather not see - the latest political conspiracy, global financial woes and a double-page spread all about some never-was celebrity who has done something radical like wear the same coat two days running. And, quite frankly, the novelty of naming storms has worn right off and we don't care whether it’s Tom, Dick or Harry blowing a gale outside. So, it’s always a bonus to discover a genuine bit of news with a happy ending. Especially if it’s about an animal. Especially if that animal is a cat! Meet Shinji…

This fated feline made his way to his favourite spot on the window sill, where he settled down comfortably to enjoy yet another lazy day in a puddle of winter sunshine with all the tempting smells of the outside world drifting in on stray breezes through the open window. From here, one-year-old Shinji commanded an impressive view of his territory, complete with the garden birds that so magnetically attracted his attention.

Nobody except Shinji knows what happened next - and he’s not saying. Perhaps one of the birds came too cheekily-close for Shinji’s liking and made him overreact but what is for certain is that the poor puss went headlong through the open window, falling almost 40ft to a nasty landing on the concrete path below. As is their reflex, the cat landed squarely on its feet but the impact unfortunately broke both of his front legs. Owner Hannah Hancock, who describes her reaction as ‘absolutely hysterical… so shocked’, rushed the injured moggy to her local PDSA surgery in Stoke, where Senior Vet Duncan took over and the process of treating Shinji.

Shinji was anaesthetised and x-rayed, the results of which showed clear breaks and fractures in both feet. In surgery described as ‘complex’, Shinji’s small and fragile bones were cleverly repositioned using a range of diminutive steel fixings and external fixators, all secured with orthopaedic putty. Everyone involved with the case agreed that Shinji was a truly remarkable cat, praising the ‘fighting spirit’ that saw him back up on his feet (and fixators!) just 24 hours after the operation.

Shinji can now be found back on his window ledge, proving the innate bravery (or perhaps stupidity) of our furry friends. Hannah has fitted window locks to make sure there will be no more cat-astrophes!

The diversity of steel as a material for creating fixing and fastening components hardly needs further illustration though we couldn’t miss the chance of sharing this heartwarming story. Whether holding together animals or oil rigs, stainless steel fastenings get the job done. Check out our own range of stainless steel fixings here.

Photos taken by Julian Brown for the article on bbc.co.uk. See the full article & original images on the website here. These are not BS Fixing's photographs and have been taken from the source in the link.

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