UNITED KINGDOM – Jo Boulton, who is 52 and from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, left her two cats, Lula and Tiggy, at the nearby Catnap Boarding Cattery prior to leaving on holiday to Greece on 31 July.
However, the family break was cut short when she received a call from the place she trusted to look after her cats – telling her one of them was missing.
Jo (pictured with husband Gerry and her other cat Tiggy) was devastated after a cattery lost one of her pets
She stated: “My husband Gerry received a call on his mobile to say one of our cats had gone missing.
“The outer door of the pen was left unlatched and she went through the inner door, saw an opportunity and bolted.
“The woman said she had been looking for Lula, but what else could she do?”
She went on to say: “If I’d known I would not have left Lula with them. Safety is paramount.
“Lula belongs to my 18-year-old daughter and she could not stop crying when she found out.
“It ruined our holiday.”
Jo was told that staff had been searching for the seven-year-old black rescue cat, posting leaflets and putting out the word to locals.
However, the irate mom claimed nobody she spoke to even knew the cat was missing when she returned home.
She stated: “I phoned the vet and they didn’t even know.
“Then when I picked up my other cat Tiggy and complained, the woman told me I was an ’emotional woman’ and that I needed to leave.
“They lost my cat while I was 2,000 miles away – of course I am emotional!”
Jo still hopes Lula – who has a few white hairs on her chest and was wearing a purple collar at the time she disppeared will be found safe.
She stated: “The house seems very empty without Lula.
“Normally the cats would be looking through the washing once we got back from holiday.
“Tiggy has been crying for her and looking around the house – going from room to room, even looking in the wardrobe.
“I’d rather know what’s happened to her. Then I’ll get closure.”
Olga Johnson, who is the administration manager at Catnap Cattery, stated: “It was very unfortunate.
“A member of our staff was feeding the cats at 4pm, and he did not properly secure the gate.
“One of the cats slipped out between his legs and got up into a tree. We could not reach her.
“That member of staff is no longer with us and has been dismissed.
“We have never had a cat escape before in 25 years, and we hope it will never happen again.
“We got in touch with Cats’ Protection and had a cat trap set up and offered to inspect it every three hours.
“We thought she would go home. We also put leaflets next to the One Stop.
“I understand the owner was very distressed and we have sent have a compensation cheque in the post.”
Nevertheless, Jo is not at all satisfied with the response and says she intends to take legal action.
She concluded: “I don’t want money. I want my cat back.”
