Deaf cat abandoned in a box

Deaf, alone and with no idea where she was, Elsa must have been so terribly confused.

The young white cat was abandoned in a cardboard box outside the Blue Cross mobile clinic in east London as the team there treated other pets in need.

The absence of any details about Elsa’s past and medical history meant that we had to start from scratch when assessing her needs – and it soon became clear to the team at our Victoria animal hospital in central London, that she was deaf.

Amanda Marrington, Blue Cross’s London Welfare Officer, said: “Elsa was a little wary as she wasn’t sure where she was or what was going on.

"As she was white and had blue eyes we thought that she might be deaf and tested this by banging and clapping behind her, and when asleep opening the door and clapping. But Elsa did not hear any of this and so it confirmed what we thought that she was deaf.”

Thankfully, she was given an otherwise clean bill of health and settled in well while she had all the preventative treatment she needed before she could travel to one of our rehoming centres.

Amanda continued: “Elsa settled in amazingly at the hospital, and loved being the centre of attention. She would sit on top of her cardboard box like the princess that she is, and would watch from above what was going on. She lapped up all the attention possible.”

She too stole plenty of hearts once she arrived at the Blue Cross Hertfordshire rehoming centre, where those that caring for her ensured that her confidence continued to grow despite her disability.

Animal Welfare Assistant, Daniella Robinson, said: “We were very conscious of her hearing problems so kept everything really slow around her.

“Despite going through quite a lot, Elsa settled in very well. She was very friendly, relaxed and loved being out and about exploring the cattery.”

And, after 43 days in our care, Elsa left the centre to start her new life in the loving home she deserved. She is now thriving.

Since then, our Hertfordshire centre in Kimpton has temporarily relocated while we redevelop the site in order to help more pets in a better environment.

Many of the buildings were dark, dingy, noisy and outdated, and in dire need of modernisation.

For instance, there was no access to outdoor space for cats like Elsa to enjoy and the cattery layout was stressful as pens faced each other, leaving pets with little privacy.

This is why we have launched an urgent appeal to raise £2 million to help bring it up to date.

Find out more about the appeal and rebuild here.