A ‘ravenously hungry’ cat who was pressured to drink water from a sink and eat dried pasta after being deserted at a property within the North East is having fun with her first Christmas in a brand new home.
Six-year-old Lola was rescued by the RSPCA from a home in Durham with two different cats and an elderly blind canine after the animals had been repeatedly left to fend for themselves and never fed correctly for a minimum of six weeks.
Forced to drink water from the kitchen sink, Lola and the opposite cats had torn open packets of pasta and couscous to try to keep alive.
A vet who examined them mentioned she had by no means seen animals so “ravenously hungry” earlier than and had they been left for an additional couple of days they’d most certainly not have survived.
Living amongst garbage and a number of other weeks’ price of piled-up faeces, all three cats had been underweight and anaemic due to extreme flea infestations.
They had been additionally extraordinarily dehydrated – partially due to the overwhelming warmth within the property which had been attributable to an electrical fireplace being left on within the lounge.
Lola was given a physique rating situation of solely two out of 9 and needed to be placed on a drip. After they’d been faraway from the property by an RSPCA inspector, the animals had been taken into the charity’s care, with Lola going to Great Ayton Animal Centre the place she spent 14 months on the lookout for a brand new home earlier than being adopted by Maureen and John Williams in March this 12 months.
The couple, who dwell close to Middlesbrough, had been amongst a whole lot of candidates to use for the young cat after the RSPCA issued a particular attraction for her.
Black cats sometimes take longer to rehome than their tabby or ginger counterparts, and the charity thinks Lola’s color might have contributed to her lengthy keep in rescue.
Mrs Williams, who has owned rescue cats all her life, mentioned: “My brother saw Lola’s appeal and when we visited the centre we knew straight away we wanted to bring her home. We tell ourselves every single day how lucky we are to have her living with us.
“She settled in really well and quickly became part of the family, becoming more confident and vocal as time went on. She’s so gentle and placid and really enjoys a cuddle and a fuss.
It was so upsetting when we found out what had happened to her. There’s not a day goes by when she doesn’t make us smile, all the family are absolutely besotted with her.”
Beverely Dunn, cattery supervisor at Great Ayton Animal Centre, mentioned: “We were quite taken aback by the number of people who kindly came forward to offer Lola a new home after we put out the appeal. She was a very sweet cat and she grew in confidence during her time with us but she was overlooked for many months, possibly because of her colour.
“We’re over the moon that she found such a wonderful home with Maureen and John and has settled in so well. We knew, given time and patience, she would flourish. It just goes to show the perfect match is out there for every rescue animal – sometimes it can just take a little longer to find it.
“We’d encourage anyone who is thinking about welcoming a pet into their home in the New Year to have a look at our website as we have many more deserving animals who are also looking for a second chance.”
The RSPCA prosecuted Lola’s proprietor, who was given a 16-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, and banned from preserving animals for 5 years.
The different cats had been additionally rehomed by the charity at completely different centres, though sadly the elderly canine was put to sleep on veterinary recommendation due to in poor health well being.
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Over 17,800 reviews of deserted animals have been obtained by the RSPCA throughout England and Wales as much as the top of October this 12 months. This compares with 16,118 reviews throughout the entire of 2020, which means the charity is heading in the right direction to see a 32.9% rise in abandonment calls in 2023.
It’s greater too than the variety of reviews obtained in 2021 (17,179) and 2022 (19,645). The RSPCA can also be receiving one name about animal neglect each 5 minutes, with 43,000 incidents reported to its emergency line as much as the top of October.
The RSPCA mentioned, the mixed results of the pandemic and a cost of dwelling disaster have meant extra animals than ever will want the RSPCA’s assist which is why the charity is urging supporters to hitch the Christmas Rescue this winter.
