Cat found on brink of death in Bucks saved by work of RSPCA

A young white cat named Brie who was on the brink of death when spotted in a remote woods in Buckinghamshire with a serious infection has had her life transformed while in the care of the RSPCA.

A member of the public spotted the cat in some bushes in August last year in woodland in Ivinghoe Beacon, when out walking their dog.

A post on the local Facebook group making the community aware of the cat covered in fly eggs alerted Kate Wright, a fosterer for the RSPCA Bedfordshire South Branch, to the animal's plight. Kate and another fosterer sprung into action to try and save the poorly feline. They knew that time was of the essence as when fly eggs start hatching they start eating - which can be fatal.

Kate, who has fostered animals for the branch for the last three years, and previously worked in animal rescue for the charity, said: "When we tried to approach Brie, she was very nervous and kept moving off so we set a cage trap and waited. Frustratingly she kept sitting on top of the cage instead of getting inside it! 

"Eventually, it started getting dark so I sat down on the grass nearby and carefully shuffled along the ground, inching closer and closer, and not looking directly at her so as not to scare her off. This seemed to work and I called her over and spoke gently to her. She let out this pitiful meow and came running over to me! She rubbed her head against me and jumped in my lap and I was so relieved - and I could tell she was so relieved too."

The poor cat was covered in fly eggs and had maggots crawling all over her but Kate couldn't see any wounds so it wasn't clear where they were coming from. Brie was also quite underweight and very dirty.

Kate added: "She was found close to a well known car park and bus stop area away from any houses. We don't know how she got there but we fear someone pulled into the car park and drove off leaving her behind. It's not an area she would likely be able to get to herself, especially in her condition - so we think she was abandoned because she was so poorly."

Kate took the cat back to her home where she shaved all of the fly eggs off her. She then took her to the vets who confirmed that she had a uterus infection called pyometra. Shockingly, her uterus was so full of pus it weighed a third of her whole body weight. Brie had to undergo an emergency spay and she slept for three days straight after the surgery but then started to recover well.

Kate added: "Pyometra is a nasty infection which impacts unneutered cats. She probably had kittens at some point but then got an infection. It's very sad because this never would have happened if she had been neutered right away. One of the best things you can do for your cat's health and to reduce the strain on rescue centres is to neuter your cat from four months old as some can get pregnant even as young as this."

Brie's story comes as the RSPCA marks World Spay Day tomorrow (Tuesday 25 February) where organisations come together to highlight the importance of neutering.

The vet who examined Brie confirmed that if the one year old cat had been left any longer then she would have died from the infection or from the maggots which had started to eat away at her. The poor cat was incredibly lucky to be alive

Kate, who fostered Brie for the next couple of months, said: "She seemed so very thankful to be rescued and would lick and suck on my arm like a baby. I've never known a cat like her. She was the most affectionate cat, she'd do the usual 'making biscuits' and kneading my lap but she'd also suckle on my arm and even my face once!

"It was heartwarming that she is so affectionate after everything she's been through but also heartbreaking to think that someone could do this to her in the first place. She's such a lovely cat. How could anyone dump her and leave her like that in the middle of nowhere to die a slow and painful death?"

Thankfully, in October last year, Brie was fully recovered and successfully found her new forever home.

Kate explained: "Brie soon got adopted and now has a perfect, wonderful home where she is safe and happy. I'm so pleased for her and so pleased that as a Branch we were able to help her. I'm incredibly proud to be part of such a dedicated and caring group of fosterers doing what we can to help cats in need."

For more information on neutering visit: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/neutering