LONDON, ENGLAND – A cat had been abandoned in some park bushes but luckily for the kitty, Maisie the dog came barking to the rescue, alerting people to the cat’s sad situation
The two-year-old English Cocker Spaniel had been on a morning walk with her owner in Wormwood Scrubs Park back in February, when she discovered the female cat in her carrier with nothing but a short note left on the top.
Maisie instantly alerted her owner, Pam, to come to the scene with persistent barking and she simply would not move away until Pam looked into the bushes and see 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 just what Maisie was barking at, she discovered a carrier hidden away in the bushes with a poor, frightened cat shut inside.
The note on top of carrier found in the bushes read: “My name is Lily, I am 5 yrs old, I need a home as I am now homeless. Please take care of me.”
Pam stated: “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 otherwise be in good health other than being very scared.
And Maisie the dog had suddenly become Lily’s unlikely hero.
Pam added: “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 some warmth, food and the chance to get out of her carrier, before bringing her into The Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Green .
When Lily arrived at The Mayhew their vet team were on hand to give the cat a full check-up and found that, despite being petrified after her ordeal, she was declared healthy.
The vets discovered that Lily had been microchipped, which said she was 11 years old and unfortunately had all the wrong contact details on the chip.
‘Irresponsible thing to do’
The Mayhew’s cattery team settled Lily into a cozy cabin with plenty of access to food and fresh water, where she could feel relaxed, safe and secure.
Animal Welfare Officer at The Mayhew Animal Home, 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 has made a full recovery in The Mayhew’s cattery, and as soon as she was ready for adoption, she did manage to find herself a new home, all thanks to one heroic pooch …. Maisie!