Never 'just a cat'

The journey of Garfield is one which restored our faith in humanity. We have shared news articles on this gorgeous little fella before, but we wanted to do a blog also and, with the consent of his carer Nikki, Garfield's story can continue to inspire others now it is forever proudly on our blog :-)

Garfield had been a known stray, living on the Isle of Wight for years. However, at the end of March, he was hit by a car. Reports suggest he was placed at the side of the road presumed dead. However, he was not dead, but he was sadly badly injured. Efforts were then made to capture him and take him to a vet, but he evaded capture each time - he was impossible to catch! As time went home, hope began deteriorating....

One lady sometimes fed him, and he eventually turned up seemingly giving up accepting he needed help finally. As this was going on, Feline Welfare's Andy Marshall organised a successful poster and social media campaign, which eventually led to his capture some 2 weeks later. Unfortunately, his wounds had now become gangrenous, and the damage to his face and mouth were so extensive, he had to be fed via a tube.

The amazing charity Feline Welfare began a social media fundraiser for his extensive veterinary care. The charities Nikki Hazelgrove led the fundraising campaign, and was humbled at the level of support from the Islands cat pages, such as Anni Ruecroft and the members of Isle of Cats who rushed to help and donate. The appeal saw Isle of Wight Cat Lovers donate a whopping £3,500 toward his vet bills and care.

Nikki said in a local newspaper: "The team of vets and nurses at Pet Doctors have been awesome with their round-the-clock care for Garfield and we are now seeing the results of their dedicated work. We would like thank everyone who has helped in one way or another."

Now, rather than being a scared stray no one can really get near, he's come out of his long journey smiling and is now loving the attention he is getting. He's even learning to sign autographs for his many fans ;-)

He's also had stunning special personalised blankets made just for him by some wonderful compassionate fans....

Now he is recovering in Feline Welfare Nikki's home and is doing fantastic by all accounts.

Garfield's story shows how 1 stray DOES matter. The hundreds who came to his aid when he needed humans most shows there is still compassion out there. Generous people donating wishing him the best, people making him blankets and sending him get well soon gifts. Not to mention the wonderful efforts of Andy, Nikki, and all at Feline Welfare, who have ultimately turned this little boys life completely around to never be the same ever again, and his story is now only just beginning!

Garfield's story says to us, maybe humans aren't so bad after all - the amazing cat lovers and carers of the Isle of Wight have shows that <3

To support Feline Welfare in the Isle of Wight, and contribute toward Garfeild's care, do visit their website: www.felinewelfareiow.co.uk/

Feline Welfare do a wonderful job year round. Each year they receive endless phone calls – morning, noon and night – which is fine by them because they like to always be there to help. These phone calls concern pregnant cats, cats in the process of giving birth and getting into difficulty, problems following birth for either ‘Mum’ and or their kittens, including death and premature kittens who are being witnessed as they fade.

Their message is this; THIS IS THE REALITY – it is the Mum who is initially raped by, quite often, a number of toms, its her who carries the kittens for 9 weeks, it is her who has to go through quite often painful labour, and sometimes complications for what MORE homeless kittens with some ending up in unsuitable homes… and so the cycle continues…

Accidents can happen yes BUT if your kitten is spayed and the boys neutered at 4 months of age NONE OF THIS WILL HAPPEN !!!!!We are here 24/7 to help – to advise AND to help cat/kitten owners to get their pets spayed/neutered. We have kept our prices the same for several years, thanks to Pet Doctors. We are subsidising the cost and are happy to continue to do so.

It isn’t a glorious occasion for your pet to produce a litter especially when help is at hand. Suffering, neglect and misery will continue again this year which is so, so sad for the animals concerned. PLEASE HELP BY NEUTERING/SPAYING YOUR PET (cat/kitten – dog/puppy – rabbit etc etc) you are after all preventing SUFFERING because when those kittens etc leave you you no longer have any control how that pet is going to be treated over the next 18 years or more.

PLEASE CALL US NOW ON 521778 – WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU AND YOUR PET…