A Christmas Miracle for Neo

At Blue Cross, we know there are many reasons people are forced to give their pets up – and that it’s never an easy decision.

That’s why, when we found a handsome tabby cat abandoned with a note outside our Hammersmith animal hospital in December 2024, we felt for the owner. They might not have been able to look after their cat any longer, but they’d cared enough to bring him to a safe place.

Our vets’ first job was to give Neo, estimated to be three years old, a health check. He was vaccinated, wormed, treated for fleas and neutered.

When he was fully recovered from surgery, it was time for the next step in his Blue Cross journey – a move to our Southampton rehoming centre to find his forever family.

But, after everything he’d been through, Neo was extremely nervous, hiding in his carrier.

The Blue Cross on-site behaviourist at Southampton put together a plan to try and bring Neo out of his shell. Hissing at anyone who approached wasn’t going to endear him to potential adopters!

“A small set of staff worked with Neo to form bonds,” Leonie Harrison, Adoptions Coordinator at Southampton, says. “They spent a lot of time just sitting in his pen flicking bits of chicken into his carrier. He started to offer subtle signs of friendship, such as blinks. But after a week he still wouldn’t leave his carrier in front of us.”

Pet Welfare Assistant Zara Barkhordar visited Neo twice a day, sitting on a plastic chair in his room and talking softly to him.

“The note Neo was left with said he was an indoors cat and here he was in a totally different environment with all these new scents and sounds – no wonder he was nervous,” Zara says. “If we got too close to his carrier, he’d swipe. Then he got spooked by some tape flapping in the wind outside. We stopped seeing his gorgeous face and huge eyes after that – he was just a lump under his blanket. My heart went out to him. I could tell he was a sweet boy – just so, so frightened.”

After a week, Zara moved her plastic chair closer to Neo so she could drop a few Dreamies into his carrier. The lump remained still.

“I had to keep the faith that he’d let his guard down,” Zara says.

And, finally, a few days later, she was rewarded by Neo’s handsome face emerging.

“He met my eyes with a big, slow blink,” Zara says. “I was so relieved and every day after that there was progress. Then, a few days before Christmas, Neo came out of his carrier and rubbed himself around my legs for a fuss. What a gift – I felt very proud to be the person he’d come out for.”

As Zara bonded with Neo, she made videos on her phone to show potential adopters that they weren’t taking on a lap cat but a scared boy who needed time and patience.

“I really wanted him to find his people as I knew in the right home he’d thrive,” Zara says.

So, when a couple, interested in adopting Neo, came in for a meet, Zara showed them the videos and explained all his quirks before introducing them. He needed consistency, she said, and responded to gentle touch rather than vigorous stroking.

During the visit, Neo stayed in his carrier. The couple, briefed by Zara on Neo’s shyness, weren’t fazed. They seemed perfect for him, Zara thought – patient and understanding.

And the couple thought Neo was perfect for them. All of Zara and the Southampton Blue Cross team’s hard work paid off and after 38 days in Blue Cross care Neo was adopted.

Two days later, the couple emailed. Neo was already interacting with them!

“I was so relieved,” Zara says. “I knew he’d have a wonderful life with this couple, and he obviously felt at home with them really quickly.”