It’s absolutely horrible that there are so many stray cats and dogs that are forced to live on the streets and look after themselves. However, sometimes cats are mistaken for strays, while they actually have a warm home to get back to. That’s exactly what happened to Jo Cuthbertson and daughter Amelia who have had their cat Lola taken away from them by someone who thought she was homeless.

A student found Lola wandering on the streets, figured she was a stray, and decided to ‘rescue’ her.

She was a student in Bath, United Kingdom, and her hometown was a couple of hours away by car. When she returned home for the weekend, she took Lola with her.

Jo and Amelia were completely distressed when Lola went missing, and they were even quite angry that someone took it upon themselves to rescue this cat. Jo heard about similar stories of non-stray cats getting ‘rescued’ in Bristol, and reached out to newspapers about the issue.

On May 30th, the cat went missing. Hours later, Jo received a call from a vet in Leamington Spa.

It definitely wasn’t uncommon for Lola to be outside, she always manages to find her way back home in time for dinner. The veterinarian told her on the phone that the cat was brought in for a check-up by a student because the cat was ‘too thin’. Lola was hours away from her hometown, but the mom and daughter duo got in the car and drove to the vet. They were particularly angry because it was something that they’d like to avoid with the coronavirus still going on.

When the vet read the chip and knew that Lola wasn’t a stray, the student was angry because she couldn’t keep the cat.

“By Sunday the girl took her to the local vets in her home town because she was saying the cat was ‘too thin.’ The vet contested this, read her identity chip and wouldn’t give Lola back. They’ve been totally wonderful.”

“The girl then apparently made a fuss when she wasn’t allowed to keep her.”

“Due to this incident, I’ve now heard of this happening in Bristol. It seems some students are thinking cats that wander into their houses and want petting think they are being neglected in some way.”

“We would like information spread so that we can feel safe that this won’t happen again. We have so many cats here on Gillingham/Hanover Terrace and Kensington Gardens and the neighbours are now worried”, Jo said to Somerset Live.

Amelia has also tried to share her message on Facebook, as she hopes to make people think twice before assuming a cat is actually homeless.

“The stress this has caused us all, including my neighbours on top of these difficult worldly times, was unnecessary and caused by a thoughtless individual indeed.”

She also hopes that the student in question sees her message.

“I am writing this post in the hopes that this is seen by her, because I feel this was massively inappropriate and she needs to actually be aware of the consequences of her actions.

“First off, this is stealing. Lola is our cat and you had no right whatsoever to take her from her home town and drive her away, regardless of whether or not you thought she was a ‘stray’. If you thought she was a stray, you should have asked your neighbours – she is very well known in that neighbourhood – or taken her to a vet clinic in Bath, or contacted the RSPCA if you had genuine welfare concerns regarding her weight.”

“Second, she was driven nearly 2/3 hours away. There are various considerations to Lola’s welfare that need to be taken into account there. Lola isn’t great at travelling, she is often distressed, meows, and tries to escape as with most cats and animals when travelling.”

The response on the internet has been mixed, as most people definitely agree that you can’t just take a cat somewhere that’s hours away, but some also believe that the family might be overreacting a bit. In any case, the most important thing is that Lola is back home and in safe hands again.

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Source: Amelia Cuthbertson, Somerset Live