Please be warned that this heart-warming tale has a very sad ending. Please read on if you can to learn about a brave little boy that came into our lives.
If you’ve over come from our Facebook page (if not then I thoroughly recommend you follow us), you might have seen us post a few times about an elderly cat called Moses.
Within the first month of starting my new job role as the Animal Welfare Officer for the branch, I attended a street in Norwood where I was visiting a lady who needed to sign over her cats.
As I approached the area, I saw Moses for the first time; blissfully sprawled out on top of a bin. I stopped to take a couple of photos, as despite his beauty, I could tell he was very old and possibly sick. He looked thin, and his eyes and nose were crusty.
After talking to the lady I was there to see and another lady who had been the only one feeding him for years, we confirmed that he was a stray community cat that had started to look less well over the last few weeks.
My amazing manager – Jacqui – was happy for me to rescue him and I managed to get him to his first vet appointment straight away.
It turned out that sadly Moses had an abdominal tumour that was also causing ascites (fluid build-up in the abdomen) and the vets told us that he probably had only a few weeks to live. Luckily for Moses however, the vets also told us that he wasn’t yet in any pain and still had a good quality of life.
While Moses was residing in one of our catteries, we scrambled to find him a permanent foster home who would be happy to give Moses a warm, comfortable few weeks.
When no one came forward to offer him a home, I decided to ask a family friend of mine. Sophie had previously adopted an elderly cat who also had a shorter life expectancy, so I knew she might be interested in doing the same for Moses.
Sophie was delighted to help and I enjoyed watching Moses explore his new kingdom over the next few weeks via videos and photos. We’ve asked Sophie to tell us about her experience fostering Moses:
“When Cheska messaged me and asked if I could take Moses, my initial thought was “I lost my gorgeous Billie earlier this year and it broke my heart! Can I really do this all over again so soon?”.
The thing is, I knew I’d really already decided I would! After checking with my landlords, who generously promptly agreed I could, I told Cheska I would love to take him.
Moses (Mosie!) was initially very hesitant, hiding first behind the toilet, and then in a dark corner beside the bed. My approach was to give him his space, but regularly bring him little snacks, pet him for short bursts, and talk to him a lot. He got used to me pretty quickly!
He decided I was good when I gave him smoked salmon, and our relationship blossomed. He had a spot in my wardrobe that he claimed – so I moved my clothes and replaced them with blankets for him. I’d also fashioned a cardboard box with a big purple blanket for him in the main room. Although he wandered around, these became his go-to chill out spaces.
Lovely little Mosie gave me Christmas and survived to 2 months and 1 day.
Although it was heart-breaking, his quick decline was really a blessing. He began to struggle on 28th December, but with periods of seeming okay. However, by the morning of 29th it was clear he had reached his end; his struggle was too much as his breathing became laboured, had difficulty moving, and was refusing food.
After he’d worked so hard and was becoming quite the little house cat, I couldn’t bear the thought of dragging him to a vet and distressing him in his last hours.
I was so grateful when the RSCPA agreed I could get him an at-home euthanasia. I was able to get him an appointment that day, and, as if he knew what was happening, about half an hour before the appointment he crawled into his box in the main room, giving the vet easy access. He was able to pass away without being moved at all, in his favourite box on his favourite blanket.
Moses was such a special little cat, and although I only had him a short time, I feel blessed to have been able to provide him a home in his last couple of months. I couldn’t be more thankful to Cheska and the RSPCA for letting me look after him.”
Back to Cheska. Rescuing Moses off the street and giving him the rare opportunity to pass away peacefully and in comfort felt incredibly rewarding and confirmed to me that I was in the exact role I needed to be in.
There are small things we can do every day that can make a difference, and rescuing Moses was a long series of small things I could do for him. Thanks so much to Sophie for gifting Moses his own paradise and giving him a wonderful few weeks.
If anyone is interested in fostering for us, please do get in touch through our contact page. We couldn’t have done any of this for Moses, as well as many other cats in need of love and attention without our wonderful fosterers!
RSPCA South London - For Every Kind Of Creature 