A STRAY tabby and white cat with a rare birth defect has won his way into the heart and home of the vet who operated on him.

Jerry was found as a stray in Tavistock approximately ten weeks ago and settled into life at the Margaret Green Animal Rescue Centre at Heathfield, Tavistock, appearing to be a tough character.

However, one night there were loud noises coming from the cattery and manager Niki Ging found Jerry having a fit and in a distressed state.

He was rushed to Westmoor Veterinary Centre and was found to have a rare condition called portosystemic shunt.

This is where the vessel going from the intestines bypasses the liver, so toxins are not taken out of the blood and the liver does not grow well.

Jerry's best chance for survival and a normal life was surgery to redirect the blood back through the liver.

This is normally done at a specialist veterinary surgery, but circumstances did not permit this, so Catherine Jones of Westmoor performed the delicate procedure.

Although Jerry's chances of survival were slim, he responded well to the pre-op dietary adjustments, which suggested the outcome of surgery was more likely to be favourable, and although it is early days, Jerry is recovering well and is described as being mischievous.

Close monitoring was required following the operation, so Jerry went home every night with Catherine and established his position in the household by sitting in the food bowls of the other dogs and cats — even though he is a fraction of their size.

Having won over their hearts, he now has a home with Catherine and the rest of the family for the rest of his life, however long that may be.