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A lucky goldfish called Nemo survived for 20 minutes out of water after being mauled by a cat .

The 12cm-long fish was snatched from a garden pond and dumped on the doorstep of a nearby house.

Rescuers believed he was dead but carried him in a shoebox to a nearby vets’.

Nemo had suffered damage to his fins and scales but an x-ray showed he had no broken bones or internal injuries.

He is now expected to make a full recovery.

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Livia Benato, exotic animal specialist at the vets, said: “It’s lucky that he was still quite wet. The moisture was probably enough to keep him alive for long enough before we got him back into water.

“We took an x-ray and it showed no signs of fractures which is quite remarkable.”

Veterinary nurse Claire Smith added: “Nemo was brought in by people who live walking distance from us - they thought he was dead at the time.

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“He is having salt baths to treat his wounds and an injection of antibiotics once a day. He’s a proper little fighter and doing really well.”

It is believed Nemo was snatched by a cat before being left on a nearby doorstep.

The Good Samaritans who took Nemo to City Vets in Exeter, Devon, were not his owners.

Staff at the vets say he is well on the way to recovery but plan to keep him for another week.

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They have issued a Facebook appeal to find his original owner - or someone who is prepared to give him a new home.

Claire added: “We’d really like the owner to come forward if they are missing a fish. But if that’s not possible then a colleague has offered to give it a new home in his pond.

“We’re all very fond of him...he refuses to give up so we won’t give up either. We’ve all grown quite attached to the little guy.”