Duncan's Story
21 October 2015
One cold, windy day in September, the uncle of a volunteer contacted his niece to advise that a cat was left in a flat which he was asked to clear out. The flat was due to be fumigated for cockroaches so we needed to find the cat immediately.
THE FLAT WAS EXTRMELY CLUTTERED, AND THERE WERE A MILLION AND ONE PLACES HE COULD HAVE BEEN HIDING We knew nothing about the cat, we did not know how he was with people, or if he was injured. We checked for a week, going in every day to see if we could see or hear him. We couldn’t. We got a trap, set it and hoped for the best that we could find this little lad. Sadly, during the meantime the RSPCA were called out, and after searching the flat, advised the landlord no cat was found so the fumigation went ahead. We knew about the fumigation when we went to visit the next day, but we could not gain access to the flat as it was not safe for us to do so after the spraying. When we were given access, the trap had not gone off, and we feared the worst. We decided to set the trap again, one more time and left it with fresh food and water in it.
THE NEXT DAY…… We had done it! The little ginger boy was caught in the trap!! We were so thrilled he was alive!! He was rushed to The Vet and immediately put on a drip as he was severely dehydrated. He was unable to open his eyes, due to the chemicals which he had been living in. We decided to name him Duncan, which is where he was rescued from, Duncan Court. After a few days rest at the vets, he was still unable to open his eyes much and was still on the drip. He was a very friendly little cat, who loved his ears rubbed and a good stroke. It was clear he was in a lot of pain, so he was put onto some high pain medication to help him.
A FEW DAYS AFTER INTAKE TO THE VETS He couldn’t open his eyes for more than a second at a time… and he had a long way to go until he was fully recovered. He sustained chemical burns to his face, mainly on his nose and his eyes had ulcers on them as a result of the spraying which he went through.
HE IS A FIGHTER!!! Duncan’s story is far from over, and he has since overcome a poorly tummy and being neutered. The vets have diagnosed him with Entropia, which is where the eyelashes curl inwards, potentially as a result of the fumigation, so has had his eyelids and around his eyes shaved to help him to open them up more. We will keep you all updated on Duncan’s story!!