Up until a few weeks ago, Tim, Gary, Tom, Puss and Tabby were part of a bigger group of 13 pet cats, all cared for and loved by William (name changed), a 78-year-old Campbelltown resident. William was unmarried, had no children and lived alone.
After retiring from his job at the local council, William lived a quiet life with his beloved cats. Though people in the community knew about his love for the felines, no one was quite aware of the number of cats he had adopted over the years.
It so happened that one day he went for his usual health check up and ended up in the hospital ICU and later passed away of a heart attack. He never got back home to his cats. The pets had food for a while as William had left it behind for them, at a place where they could find it.
Following his death, his will revealed that he left his entire estate to two animal and cat charities – RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) NSW and the Cat Protection Society.
With taking in of the cats not legally binding on them, in the absence of it being specifically mentioned in the will, the charities are at liberty to decide on their future.
At this point, the estate solicitor reached out to a local cat rescue group, who stepped in to take care of the cats in the interim.
Posts on the social media about the plight of these helpless cats ensured that help poured in generously in the form of essential supplies and pet food.
“There was a huge outpouring of support and items sent and donated for the care of the cats from the community, it has been incredible,” said Nicole W, founder and director at Meow & Forever, the local cat rescue group.
Of the 13 pet cats, five have been adopted and/or found foster homes and an additional three have been taken in by the Cat Protection Society, one of the beneficiary charities, under the condition that they are not to be euthanised.
“It is a sad situation indeed. We have been working closely with the local rescue group to look after the cats, this will be an ongoing process. We are very pleased to see that many of the cats have found homes already through the local rescue group and ourselves,” said Nerida Atkin, Feline Services Manager at the Cat Protection Society of NSW Limited.
“RSPCA NSW is committed to exploring every possible strategy to ensure the remaining cats can enjoy good quality of life. Our animal care team is meeting with a member of the rescue group this week to review the cats' behavioural needs and rehoming options, one of which involves the cats continuing their adoption journey at an RSPCA NSW shelter. However, no decision has been made regarding the cats at this time,” said an RSPCA NSW spokesperson.
Time is however, running out. All five urgently need short to medium term foster carers and/or be adopted at the earliest. These guys truly deserve a second chance at finding a new home, to create new memories and being pampered.
If anyone is interested in fostering/adopting them, kindly get in touch with the beneficiary charities or Meow and Forever Cat Rescue at info@meowandforever.org