Second chance for brave Rose

Rose a black and white cat

Nobody knows how Rose became homeless and so badly injured that she lost a front leg. And she can’t say.

Rose was only around eight months old when she was taken to the Blue Cross Pet Rehoming Centre in Kimpton. Her rescuer was a stranger, who had been feeding the poor stray and her litter of three feral kittens in their garden but was themself leaving the area.

Reluctant to abandon her, they kindly handed her into the Hertfordshire Blue Cross centre, where she and her kittens could be looked after and eventually re-homed. 

Blue Cross, a UK animal welfare charity was established back in 1897 and as demand for its services increased, its Hertfordshire Centre was opened in the 1940s. The charity provides veterinary care, behavioural expertise and an adoption service for animals in need. 

Rose and her family were certainly in need. Her three kittens were unused to people, and needed expert care to socialise them, so that they could be re-homed as pets when they were old enough. Rose herself had sustained a serious injury to a front leg. 

Once her kittens were weaned and in professional foster care, where they could continue their socialisation before being found homes, Rose was sent for further investigation.

At a Blue Cross hospital in London, the extent of her injuries was revealed. Both lower bones in the affected leg had been completely broken and had healed incorrectly, well out of normal alignment. Somehow, Rose had managed to adjust and cope with the injury, but to give her the best possible future, the decision was taken to remove the badly damaged leg. 

She was also pregnant again. This made adjusting to life on three legs harder for poor Rose, who had to learn to balance and walk again while carrying another litter.

After a couple of weeks, the babies were born. Having regained her strength and now free of pain from her terrible injuries, Rose rallied and set about nursing five new kittens.  

She was comfortable around people and happy to have the team enter her pen to check on her kittens, which staff at the centre also gave floral names. When the kittens - named Prim, Posy, Bud, Thorn and Shrub - reached two weeks of age, Rose and her little flower family were transferred into the care of a dedicated Blue Cross foster carer.

Speaking about Rose’s ordeal, Sarah Miller, Animal Welfare Assistant at the Blue Cross Rehoming Centre in Hertfordshire, said: 

“We suspect that at some point Rose must have been owned, as she was so friendly. It is a mystery how she becomes homeless initially. Having such a severe injury must have been so painful for the young mum, especially as she was having to manage it alone in the outside world, while raising her litter.

“The best thing for Rose was to amputate her injured leg, to get her out of pain. Initially, she found the transition onto three legs difficult, but we are pleased to be able to report that since giving birth, Rose has become quite comfortable being a ‘tri-pawed’ cat. All eight of her kittens were found homes too."

As winter deepens, and the cost-of-living crisis increasingly impacts upon everyone, charities like Blue Cross have never been needed more. 

It is likely that Rose had once been someone’s pet, and sadly many pets are finding themselves homeless as owners struggle to make ends meet. 

Blue Cross advises anyone struggling to care for their pet to reach out, as there is support available, including pet food banks and discounted veterinary care. The charity urges anyone considering giving up their pet to take it their local vet or pet rehoming centre, so it can be well looked after until a new forever-home is found.

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Notes to Editors 

  • Blue Cross is a national charity that has been helping sick, injured and homeless pets for 125 years. Every month we help thousands of pets and their people by providing veterinary care, expert behaviour advice and find homeless pets loving families. We also offer education for future generations plus pet bereavement support for those who have lost their beloved pet companion. We love the ways that pets can make such an amazing difference to the people they live with and we offer lifelong support and advice to help that unique relationship thrive. With your support we can give back to more pets and their families who need our help. Pets change lives. We change theirs.
  • 2022 is the 125th anniversary of Blue Cross, originally ‘Our Dumb Friends League’. The charity originally formed to help pets and their people through difficult times and today has never been needed more. From finding pets loving new homes, running a network of pet food banks and providing essential vet care, Blue Cross supports pet owners looking for help. 
  • To donate to Blue Cross this Christmas visit www.bluecross.org.uk/support

— Page last updated 16/12/2022