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Morninglory
Persians
links to cat
rescue organisations and charities
Sadly
not all Persians are loved and cared for.
Many Persians are abandoned each year - many often sadly neglected
or even mistreated. Rescues are full of these sad little cats.
Meet
Peaches and read her story. |
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Meet
Peaches:
Perhaps
this is a story which should start with a happy ending and
as you read on you will see why.
THE
END
At the National 1996 Peaches made her one and only appearance
at a cat show. It was however worth the effort. She was chosen
'Cat of Courage' for which she received a beautiful rosette
and a commemorative trophy. She was certainly the centre of
attention and her story is one you will be unlikely to forget
once you have read it. Those of you who saw the cats entered
in this competition in the gallery of Olympia will understand
why, but for those of you who didn't.... |
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Peaches - her thigh bones clearly visible through her thin
skin.
She weighed less than 20% or her normal body weight
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THE
STORY:
In 1995, there was a call from the receptionist at a local
vet's. - "Can you help? We have a particularly bad rescue
case involving a Persian Cat and we feel she needs to be with
someone who knows about the breed."
The cat had been found by a man walking his dog. She had been
sealed into a box and pushed or thrown into a gully on the
side of a mountain. If it hadn't been for the dog's keen nose
she would have died there, but death was all too near. Whoever
had put her there had clearly not meant her to be found -
or to survive |
Initially,
because of her injuries and appalling condition, the
vet felt she should be put down. However, everyone was
so taken with her gentle nature and determination that
he felt she deserved a chance. She was tested for FelV,
FIP etc as well as kidney function and the vet and his
nurse bore the cost. Amazingly the test results were
good. The phone call to me was the next step. |
Peaches
was so starved that after a full month in Rescue she
still weighed only 3 lbs. |
I arranged to collect her and take her to a safe foster
home - a friend had 'volunteered' to take her in. In spite
of the shock of her condition, it was only gradually that
the full horror was unveiled. She was little more than a bag
of bones, wasted muscle and very unsteady on her legs. She
seemed almost resigned to anything anyone was going to do
to her. As her foster mum handled her day by day, her other
injuries became evident. She had been burnt on her head with
cigarettes or the like; her jaw had been damaged; most of
her front claws had been damaged with some missing completely
horrifically and the ends and sides of her ears had been cut
off. Her condition and weight loss had obviously been the
result of long term cruelty. After almost a month 'in care'
and with the help of an excellent 'foster mum', the little
girl weighed just over 3 lbs - just a little more than a bag
of sugar. |
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Fortunately,
this story has a happy ending. Peaches was speyed and turned
into a beautiful strapping lass weighing over 10 lbs. Every
day there was a new wonder. At Christmas time she played for
the first time. In March she realised what the litter tray
was for. Then she learnt that it was safe to climb onto your
lap as opposed to sitting beside you. For a very long time
she remained apprehensive about hands which moved quickly
towards her, especially if they were holding anything - even
a chicken drumstick. The pot of Cosmic catnip however was
definitely on her list of favourites. Everyday was special
and not surprisingly, Peaches remained with with her foster
mum Sue Johannesen - who agreed to keep her 'just until her
ears grew back’. |
Peaches
made her journey to the National Cat Show to highlight
the plight of rescue cats and she won the first ever
'Cat of Courage' award at the National Cat Club Show
at London's Olympia (photo right) -
a real tribute to the love and care of her foster 'mum',
the veterinary staff and that 'dog walker' all of whom
played their part in her rescue.
Those
who who met Peaches and Sue at the National that year
were deeply touched by the story and by this sweet gentle
cat that had been so badly abused. |
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We
never found Peaches' original owner or breeder - did
she stray? was she stolen? or worst of all was she mistreated
by someone who should have cherished her?
Breeders
- please do not believe that just because someone is
prepared to pay for a kitten that it is guaranteed a
good home. |
Peaches is not the only cat in need of a friend. Cats
like Peaches and Mollie (photo left)
are being cared for by rescues all
over the country.
You
can all help - either by offering a permanent, caring,
loving home to a cat in need or a much needed donation!
list
of rescue organisations
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Mollie
- an elderly Longhair Tortoiseshell girl left out to
die. When the inches of matted parasite ridden fur were
removed all that was left was a 'bag of skin & bones'
with a very big purr.
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If
you run a registered non-profit making Cat Rescue and would like
to be listed here please email
me with details of your organisation.
Please
when adopting or offering a rescue for adoption you should satisfy
yourself of the reputability of those you are dealing with. This
website is not a quarantee of a referral. |
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updated
1 September, 2008
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