741 Days and Still no Home! Two Cats set to be London Animal Charity’s Longest Staying Felines Unless Forever Homes are Found

Mayhew animal welfare charity in Kensal Green is urgently appealing for loving owners for two black and white cats who are set to become their longest feline residents in January unless they are found suitable forever homes.

Jessie, aged four years and seven months and Sunny, aged two-and-a-half, were taken into care at the Mayhew on 10 January and 21 January this year and unless forever homes are found for both in the next month the combined time for both to have remained homeless will reach a staggering 741 days.

Jessie – the cat from Willesden with “bags of personality”

Mayhew was notified about Jessie by a concerned resident in Willesden on 10^th January after having spotted him sitting on their garden fence for a number of days without moving looking lost and confused. Jessie was immediately taken to the charity’s headquarters in Kensal Green where he was examined by the veterinary team. Jessie suffered from a flea allergic dermatitis, and it was later revealed that he previously had a head trauma resulting in a broken jaw, anisocoria (unequal pupil size) and a mild head tilt, all of which do not affect him and in no way impact his quality of life.

Sunny – a cat found living outside after having lost his owner

On 21 January, Mayhew was informed about a cat in Wembley whose owner had sadly passed away and who was found living outside and receiving food from a local neighbour. The charity’s Animal Welfare Officers quickly responded by collecting Sunny and bringing him to Mayhew. Veterinary checks confirmed that Sunny was suffering from a dermatitis and following various treatments prescribed by Mayhew vets this has now since been managed with daily medication.

As Georgina Costi, Mayhew Head of Cattery explains, “Despite both cats having been through so much, Jessie and Sunny really have come on leaps and bounds and made terrific progress compared to when they first came to Mayhew. Jessie is a loving and sweet cat with a bag of personality. He has a terrific sense of humour, and he loves to play – even a piece of string keeps him happy! He never fails to keep us all entertained. He is a great cat who loves people and wants nothing more than to hang out and be the centre of everyone’s universe. We really hope the right owner will read his profile and Jessie can start the new year in a home he truly deserves.”

She continues, “Sunny is an affectionate little chap and whilst he can be a bit of a scaredy cat initially, once he knows you will happily sit on your lap and even sleep on the bed with you. If you’re very lucky he will even give you a wash! That’s just all part of Sunny’s quirky nature. He enjoys his cuddles and loves to play with all his favourite toys. He would be best suited to grown up home with a patient and loving owner who will bring out the sunny side of very special cat that is also called Sunny!”

If you think you could offer cats like Jessie or Sunny a forever home, please click here to find out more about them and contact Mayhew for more information.

Mayhew

Established in 1886, Mayhew is one of the most effective animal welfare charities in London. We help thousands of animals in need gain a better quality of life by delivering a broad range of community-based veterinary, social and education services in the UK and overseas.

Our team of Animal Welfare Officers work extensively with vulnerable pet owners across society, including the elderly, disabled, homeless and those facing a personal crisis, whether housing or health related. They offer a range of services including temporary foster care, a free pick up and return neutering service, free or low-cost preventative veterinary care and extensive animal behaviour and welfare advice.

We also work closely with local authorities to address pet ownership issues and collaborate with government and non-government agencies to address the challenges of misuse and mistreatment of companion animals.

Our animal therapy programme, TheraPaws, has 60 teams of humans and dogs who visit care homes, hospitals and hospices in 14 London boroughs promoting the human and animal bond and bringing well-being and joy to residents and patients.

In 2019 we:

•        Rehomed 380 cats and 98 dogs

•        Helped 1846 animals in the community

•        Made 704 visits to elderly, unwell and vulnerable people through

TheraPaws

•        Vaccinated 1793 animals in the UK

•        Trained 24 vet students, including 7 on our International Training

Programme

To find out more about Mayhew’s work, visit www.themayhew.org

For adoption, clinic and general enquiries, call: 020 8962 8000. To donate, call: 020 8206 5870.