PLATTE CITY, Mo. — A local couple is giving back to a veterinarian who stepped up to help an injured cat.
Maggie and her husband Pete found a kitten mauled by a wild animal. They called all over to get this cat some help, but no one would — except one veterinarian in Platte City.
Pete found little Kismit at work and immediately called his wife.
“I started calling around in greater KC,” Maggie said.
Little Kismit was seriously injured, and Maggie struggled to find anyone to help without the couple having to pay out of their own pocket.
“They said you can bring her in, but you’ll have to pay for whatever we do to her,” Maggie said. “They would probably just put her down. You know, even our own vet wouldn’t do it.”
That’s when she called Dr. Branson at Maple Hill Animal Hospital in Platte City.
“She was just like, ‘bring it up here immediately,'” Maggie continued. “So we bring her up here, they take her in a room and everybody just starts working on her. I thought she was going to lose her eyes because her eyes were so messed up.”
“They put these eye drops in her eyes, and all of a sudden she opens her eyes.”
Bite marks, infected eyes and a flesh eating bacteria tormented the weeks-old kitten. After nine weeks in Dr. Branson’s care, Kismit will soon go home.
“Dr. Branson is totally awesome,” Pete said. “Obviously really cares about animals. It’s not about money; it’s about healing animals, and she’s done an excellent job. This cat was going to die.”
“Now she’s playing and jumping,” Maggie added. “I brought up a bunch of toys for them try to do some things myself because I said, ‘What do we owe you for this?’ Dr. Branson was like, ‘You don’t owe me anything.'”
“She’s been here 9 or 10 weeks now, and this lady is the only owner of this small practice.”
All of the other vets Maggie and Pete tried to take the cat were larger practices that Maggie said “could’ve afforded it.”
Dr. Branson instead handled all the costs and didn’t expect anything in return from the couple. However, the couple was able to gift the good Samaritan with a $400 gift card thanks to FOX4’s Pay it Forward program.
“I contacted FOX4 for the Pay it Forward because I thought you’re such a compassionate and caring woman who didn’t wanna charge us to save this little kitty when everybody else wanted to put her down.” Maggie said to Dr. Branson as she handed over the gift.
“You won because you’re the most wonderful vet in the world.”
Dr. Branson was inspired by her mother and father.
“My parents were animal lovers,” the vet said, “and my parents always did everything they could. So I became a vet to help animals and that’s just what I do and that’s what makes life worth it for me.”
