Cat's medical bill after accident: $15,000

KENNETT, England, July 25 (UPI) -- A British woman said she spent $15,000 to have her cat's face rebuilt after it was hit by a car and disfigured.

Tanya Dickson said her cat, Hetty, was in a coma when she found him by the side of the road and veterinarians told her one of his eyes had collapsed and his nasal cavity was shunted among other injuries following the accident, The Telegraph reported Friday.

Dickson said Hetty underwent a number of operations while being kept alive in an incubator and six days after his injury, he was able to meow again. She said he was eating on his own within six weeks.

She said the money she used to pay for the 18-month-old feline's treatment had been set aside to buy a new car.

"Money is only money. It comes and goes. I had wanted to get a new car -- I drive a long way. But I think that if people have pets they should do all they can for them," she said. "The bill just went up and up and up but without the specialist care there was no chance he would've made it."

Dickson said Hetty is now recovering at home.

"He is deaf in one ear and blind in one eye and he isn't as feisty as he used to be," she said. "He is quite dopey and loves sitting on my lap. But he still has a good quality of life so it was all worth it."