A starving cat that was forced to live among rubbish and several weeks’ worth of piled-up faeces has been rescued by the RSPCA. Five-year-old Lola was found in a house in Durham along with two other cats and an elderly blind dog after the animals had been repeatedly left to fend for themselves with no food or water.
The cat, named Lola, was so hungry it resorted to eating dried pasta to stay alive as well as drinking water from the kitchen sink. The "very sweet girl" is being cared for at the RSPCA’s Great Ayton Animal Centre but is still looking for a new home more than 320 days after being rescued.
A vet who examined all the animals after their rescue by the RSPCA in January last year said she had never seen creatures so "ravenously hungry" before. Living among rubbish and several weeks’ worth of piled-up faeces, the three cats were underweight and anaemic because of severe flea infestations.
Lola, also riddled with fleas, was given a body score condition of only two out of nine and had to be put on a drip. The cats had also torn open packets of pasta and couscous to try to stay alive.
They were also severely dehydrated, partly because of the overpowering heat in the property caused by an electric fire that had been left on in the lounge. The vet said they’d been suffering because of inadequate nutrition for at least six weeks and had they been left for another couple of days they would most likely not have survived.
Lola has since made a good recovery at the RSPCA’s Great Ayton Animal Centre where its favourite pastime is playing with a ping pong ball. But sadly the cat has been overlooked by potential adopters and is now one of the longest-staying residents.
Cattery supervisor Beverley Dunn, said: “Lola is a very sweet girl who has grown in confidence since she’s been with us. She’s very independent and likes to do her own thing but she also enjoys a little bit of fuss from the staff she’s got to know here over the past 14 months.
"Her new owners will need to be patient and give her space but we’re confident she’ll thrive and enjoy even more attention once she’s settled. After her traumatic past she really deserves to be happy; she’s still a young cat and has her whole life ahead of her and we hope that sharing her story will help us to find her a wonderful new home.”
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The RSPCA prosecuted Lola’s owner, who was given a 16-week custodial sentence suspended for 12 months, and banned from keeping all animals for five years. The other cats were rehomed by the charity at different centres, although the elderly dog had to be put down on veterinary advice because of its ill health.
Find out more about Lola and how to register an interest in adopting the cat by visiting Great Ayton Animal Centre’s website.
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