Bo & Belle's Story; 82 Year old with Dementia Struggled to Care for Them
When we first heard about Bo and Belle, an elderly woman in her eighties was struggling to care for them in a flat in Plumstead, SE18.
Vulnerable and suffering from dementia, this lady had no memory of how the cats had ended up in her home; it seems someone had asked her to look after them and simply never returned. Cared for by social services herself, she was able to do very little for the cats and hadn't been given so much as a litter tray for them. Having no access to the outdoors the pair were forced to toilet around the flat.
Though carers regularly visited the woman's' home, no action was taken for her until a neighbour learned of the situation, and after purchasing a litter tray, began frantically calling local animal charities. At the peak of kitten season, with most full to the brim, she had little success, until she emailed CatCuddles and we began our own urgent efforts to rectify this unhappy situation.
Though we were extremely busy at this time with other urgent cases dotted across Greenwich, we managed to secure an emergency foster carer for the cats within two days. Volunteers who collected the pair, shy and under a year old - essentially just older kittens - were upset when entering the home by what this kind, elderly lady had been put through, and grateful to her neighbour for caring enough to get involved.We're happy to say that Bo and Belle are now neutered and vaccinated and becoming braver by the day in foster care. They're waiting for a new life in a loving forever home to begin.