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    • 14 Apr, 2016

    Heroic Dog Saves Abandoned Cat by Barking for Help

    A heroic dog barked to the rescue when she found an abandoned cat in a pet carrier hidden in park bushes.

    Heroic Dog Saves Abandoned Cat by Barking for HelpTwo year old English Cocker Spaniel, Maisie had been on a morning dog walk with her owner in Wormwood Scrubs Park in North West London when she discovered a female cat abandoned in her carrier with a note left on the top.

    Maisie instantly alerted her owner, Pam, to the scene with persistent barking and would not move away until Pam looked in the bushes and found the cat.

    Pam said: “Maisie and I were walking through the trees in the park on our morning dog walk, when she suddenly stopped and started barking at some bushes. Usually Maisie barks when she wants a stick, so I got one for her but she just ignored it and carried on staring at the bushes and would not move – that was when I thought she must have found something.”

    When Pam went to investigate what Maisie was barking at, she discovered a carrier hidden away in the bushes with a poor, frightened cat shut inside. The carrier had a note attached to the top which stated that the cat inside was five years old and called Lily, and asked for someone to please take care of her because she no longer had a home.

    Heroic Dog Saves Abandoned Cat by Barking for Help

    Pam said: “I felt shocked and tearful when I found Lily. Being an owner of two cats myself, I couldn’t believe that somebody could do that, and thought that her previous owner must have been in a desperate situation.”

    Despite not having any access to food or water and not being able to escape from her carrier, Lily appeared to be in good health other than being, of course, very scared. Luckily, it appears that Maisie had found Lily quickly after she was abandoned, and was truly Lily’s unlikely hero.

    Pam said: “The cat carrier wasn’t clearly visible from the outside of the bushes, so if it wasn’t for Maisie, I don’t know how long Lily would have been left there.”

    Pam took Lily home and provided her with warmth, food and the chance to get out of her carrier, before bringing her into The Mayhew.

    When Lily arrived at The Home our vet team were on hand to give her a full check-up and found that, despite being petrified after her ordeal, she was thankfully in good condition. Our team discovered that Lily had been microchipped, which said she was 11 years old and unfortunately had the wrong contact details on the chip.

    Our cattery team settled Lily into a cosy cabin with plenty of access to food and water, where she could feel relaxed, safe and secure.

    Our Animal Welfare Officer, Alisa Ford, said: “To dump a cat in her carrier without access to food, water or the chance to escape is an irresponsible thing to do. We are so glad that Maisie found Lily quickly, as it’s worrying to think what would have happened to her otherwise.”

    “At The Mayhew we help hundreds of people in crisis situations every year, and we wish that whoever had owned Lily had come to us or another cat shelter instead of abandoning her in the park.”

    “We encourage people who are having problems looking after their pet to get in contact with us so we can see what we can do to help; we do not judge anyone and are here to help the animal.”

    lily 2

    Lily recovered well in our cattery, and as soon as she was ready for adoption, she found herself a forever home in no time at all. All thanks to the heroic pooch Maisie, Lily will now be able to spend the rest of her days in a loving environment with her new doting owner.

    Our Animal Welfare Officers rescue hundreds of abandoned, neglected and abused animals every year, respond to animal welfare issues out in the community and provide ongoing support to carers and pet owners in crisis situations. Find out more about their work here and please consider donating to help our officers help even more animals like Lily.

    If you or anyone you know needs to speak to an Animal Welfare Officer, then please don’t hesitate to drop in to our home in Kensal Green, North West London, or call us on 020 8962 8000.
    [donate text=”Donate to help more animals like Lily” source=”Lily story”]

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