Yahoo News Cat dumped on Christmas Eve found with note saying: 'Take me in and love me'
Mila, a one-year-old black cat, was left on a park bench in east London.
A cat was found dumped in an animal carrier bag on Christmas Eve, highlighting the issue of pet abandonment during the holiday period.
Mila, a one-year-old black cat, was left on a park bench in east London with a heartbreaking note that read: 'Take me in and love me'. The pet owner wrote that they were returning to university and “won't be able to take me with her”.
The family who found Mila later contacted the RSPCA which now has her in its care. It says she was lucky to have been spotted, as she might have been attacked by a dog or a fox or even frozen to death.
The animal was discovered in Barking Park after the family noticed two men leaving the pet carrier bag. They spotted it was moving and found Mila inside, along with a handwritten note, which said: "Hello I’m MILA. I am 1 year old turning 2 Feb 17th 2024.
"My owner is going back to university and won’t be able to take me with her. Take me in and love me like she my owner did. Thank you 24/12/23."
The RSPCA is now investigating the abandonment of the young cat. As part of its Join the Winter Rescue campaign, the animal welfare charity has revealed it received around 30,000 reports of animals being abandoned in 2023 - more than in all three previous years.
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Cat 'lucky' to be alive
Lee Ricketts, an RSPCA investigating animal rescue officer, said: “The cat was very lucky to be found when she was. It was getting dark and it was unlikely that there would be much footfall in the park for the rest of the evening or on Christmas Day.
"She could have been attacked by a dog or a fox, and the cold weather could have been really dangerous, as well as having no food or water in the carrier. She was taken to Finsbury Park Animal Hospital for a check up, and is now at an RSPCA branch.
"It’s so sad that rather than taking her to a place of safety, she was simply abandoned in a park during a very quiet period. Shockingly, abandonment reports to the RSPCA are at a three-year high - highlighting why we are urging people to join the winter rescue and help us reach more animals like this poor cat.
“If anyone knows who those two men were or the cat’s previous owner, please contact us so we can investigate further.”
Why are pets being abandoned?
Abandonment cases in the UK have reached a three-year high, with as many as 1,619 incidents of abandonment in November alone last year.
The RSCPA is worried that the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, combined with an increase in pet ownership during the COVID-19 restrictions, has created a "perfect storm" for animal welfare emergencies, leading to a surge in abandoned pets.
With Christmas approaching, RSPCA Cymru in Wales had expressed its concern that animal abandonments could increase compared to the previous year. Pets given as Christmas gifts are often discarded because they are unwanted, or the new owners do not know how to take care of them.
The RSPCA does not advise giving pets as presents without knowing whether the new owner will be happy to receive them and able to care for them. It said: “We’d urge anyone thinking of purchasing a pet - whatever the time of year - to consider the long-term commitment required to properly care for an animal.
"People need to take into account whether they have the time and money to care for that pet for the rest of its life.”
