Happy home for last of three cats dumped on farmland

Happy home for last of three cats dumped on farmland

Three cats who were callously dumped on farmland have all been found loving homes, with the last of the trio spending eight months in charity care while on the road to recovery.

Ivy, Jude and Iris were taken to Cats Protection Cotswolds Cat Centre, just outside Evesham by a kind farmer who found them on his land near Witney. With no other properties for miles and in an area known for fly-tipping, it is believed they were abandoned, most likely as a result of being considered too old for breeding as they are all grey Russian Blue type cats.

Females Ivy and Iris are believed to be around six years old and male Jude around seven. The cats were unneutered, underweight, had urine-stained legs, multiple untreated health conditions, needed significant dental surgery and were in an unkempt, neglected condition. They were all suspicious of human contact and showed behaviours which suggested maltreatment or poor handling. Jude would flinch away when anybody raised a hand.

Jude additionally had painful ears but was treated and ready to go to his new home after a month in care and Iris was homed a month later. Both had gained in confidence and been nursed back to health, with Jude in particular loving affection and fuss.

Sadly, Ivy was in the worst condition of the three and needed considerably more care. In addition to her poor coat, overall condition and decaying teeth, Ivy had sore, itchy ears and an odd stance to her hind legs, believed to have been caused either by having to give birth repeatedly or from being kept in cramped conditions for long periods which prevented her from standing or exercising normally. The latter would also explain the three cats' urine stains.

Ivy was diagnosed with polyps in her ears as the result of her having an ear infection or mites which had been left untreated. Initial attempts to treat the polyps with two varieties of ear drops were unsuccessful and TECA surgery (total ear canal ablation) was chosen as the best treatment.

Ivy experienced pneumonia which required antibiotics as a result of her weakened immune system from the surgery and she is now partly deaf in her right ear, a known risk of the ablation. She also has reduced blinking in her right eye, a form of post-operative paralysis which will hopefully lessen over time.

Her unusual gait was investigated and both her pelvis and stifles (joints in the hind-limb) were found to be in good health with no concerns that it was causing ongoing her pain.

Centre manager Charlie Hood says: "All three cats captured our hearts. They had suffered so dreadfully at the hands of humans and yet they all learned to trust us and became affectionate, sweet cats so quickly.

"Abandonment should never be considered an option and even if you are concerned about the state of a cat in your care, we will work with you to establish the best path and bring them into our care as needed.

"Ivy, Jude and Iris were remarkably resilient, Ivy in particular, but not all cats would survive as they did. We are delighted they have all found such brilliant loving homes."

Ivy's new owners Terence and Barbara Owens have shared how affectionate and loving Ivy is now that she's settled in their Worcester home.

Terence says: "For first few days we kept her in the utility room so that she could get used to being in the house but once we let her out, she came into the living room, looked around everywhere and now likes to sleep on the couch on my lap or in the guest room. She find a sunny spot to sleep during the day and when we're asleep we can hear her playing with ping-pong balls. She also likes to watch Inspector Morse – perhaps it reminds her of her origins in Oxfordshire!

"We don't think her hearing has been as affected as expected, she hears when I've put the radio on in the morning and comes to see me and she can hear the sound of us opening her food which she comes rushing through to supervise. She has settled more quickly than we expected, she's a fantastic cat, we're so pleased we have her."

The cats' time in care came at a sizeable cost to the centre, even with generous subsidies from the vets involved. Ivy's medical care alone came to around £1800 and without the help from the vets involved, the bill would have been far higher. The centre is therefore hoping to raise around £1500 via its JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/page/cats-protection-cotswold-cat-centre-8

To find out more about cats needing homes at Cats Protection Cotswolds Cat Centre visit www.cats.org.uk/evesham