Staff and volunteers at Woodside Animal Sanctuary in Elfordleigh are celebrating after their celebrity cat which they rescued in March has found a forever home.
Ethel was in a terrible state when she arrived at Woodside after living as a stray for a lengthy period. Woodside deputy manager Dawn Cornish said:
“She looked like a walking brick. I have seen a fair few tangled coats but never matting this bad.”
But even with all the extra fur she was so emaciated she weighed only half the weight of a cat her size.
Dawn added:
“She needed help urgently as her neck and head were so tightly matted she could hardly move, so we shaved her neck and this obviously provided immediate relief.” Nevertheless it took Ethel some time before she trusted herself to move freely without the expected pain of tugging hair.
Her road to health continued with a trip to the vets where they found her mouth to be deeply infected, which explained why she could not groom herself. The rest of her fur was shaved while she was under anaesthetic.
Dawn said:
“She was very weak, extremely underweight and generally vulnerable. With the added complication of a chest infection, at times it was touch and go during those early weeks.
As she gained strength Woodside started to share her story on the charity’s social media page and she quickly gathered a regular following eager to learn of her progress. Some of her videos received over 10,000 views and over a thousand comments wishing her well. Her posts also gained attention from as far away as the USA and Australia.
Six months after arriving in such a story state the time came for Ethel to prepare to leave the sanctuary for her forever home. Her new owners said: “We saw a recent post on Facebook and were touched by her story. She seemed to be elderly and overlooked and we just felt we could offer her a home a spoil her for the rest of her days. We cannot wait to get her home.”
Woodside’s founder Carole Bowles said:
“Thankfully we do not see as many animals in the neglected health that Ethel was suffering when she arrived as we did in the past but maybe this is because we are able to reach them earlier.
“With over 175 animals on site though it is always an uphill battle especially when many of our animals require long term care due to illness or age. With Ethel too we wondered if she would become a long term resident. Thankfully we do have four special care units on site which provide long term care for animals that are unlikely to be rehoused for medical, age or behavioural reasons.
“These units take a lot of funding but the demand is always high and not something we would ever want to cut back on. The cats all have free roam of the sanctuary during the day and so it is very much a home from home environment for them.”
Anyone who would like to help support the work of Woodside and cats like Ethel are asked to visit the website on www.woodsidesanctuary.org.uk.
