RSPCA Friends of West Hatch Newsletter Autumn-Winter 2018 | issue 15 | Page 14

Freya’s story
From fraidy-cat to fabulous
Freya arrived at West Hatch RSPCA back in
January. She was a sorry sight. Her skin was
raw and itchy, and she cringed when she
was touched.
She had come to us as she was being bullied 
by the cats in the household, so being placed
in a cat pen surrounded by other cats looking
in on her, alongside her skin problems meant
it was incredibly hard to cope day to day, and
she lost trust in everyone who was trying to
care for her.
The cattery staff devised a plan. We have a
cabin on site which has sofas and climbing
posts in it and there is a small enclosed
garden attached to this. It is used mostly
to socialise cats and kittens, but we felt if
she was to stand any chance of recovery
then Freya would be more comfortable
living away from the other cats until we
could find her a permanent home. 
Initially she remained fearful, but the cattery
staff would not give in and sat with her
quietly every day. After about a month, she
began to sit on laps and interact a bit more,
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and slowly, week by week she has relaxed,
her skin has healed and she has become
like a different cat in both character and
appearance. The process has been slow, and
she is still quick to react if she is put under
too much pressure, but she now lounges in
the sun, stalks moths, and chirps when she
sees you entering her pen.
The RSPCA comes under a lot of criticism for
putting too many animals to sleep, when the
reality is that the staff at centres like ours
across the country go the extra mile every
day and fight to find ways to save the animals
they are caring for.
Thanks to our staff’s perseverance, Freya now
has a wonderful new home with people who
understand her complex character, and love
her just the same.