Ray Swan, the night security guard at Hammonds, has had the company of a black cat he nicknamed 'Booboo', visiting him at the gatehouse every night for 14 years. During the day the cat would go over to our Harrowbrook estate to get fed, and then would come back over to the gatehouse in time to meet Ray for more food and a nap.
Ray was disappointed a couple of weeks ago as he had noticed she wasn't very well and had a large growth on the side of her head. Ray had assumed that as he hadn't seen her, she had passed away.
One morning, he was reading the daily mirror and low and behold, there was Elsa, his favourite cat that he had cared for over 14 years.
Ray had told his supervisor about the cat many times and when he told him about this growth that had appeared, his supervisor thought it was best to call the RSPCA so that it can be looked at properly. Elsa was collected and taken to the Parkvet in Glenfield for treatment, this is where they discovered she had a microchip.
The data on the microchip had the cat down as deceased, but the owner was contacted and she couldn't believe the cat was still alive and what journey the cat had been on.
Ruth Armstrong, Elsa's owner, had adopted the cat when she was 6 months old and went missing 18 months later in 2007. When recalling the time that Elsa went missing, Ruth stated that she was spending more and more time away from home.
At this point, Ruth knew she just had to meet Ray to meet and thank this lovely man that had been taking care of Elsa (Booboo) this whole time.
In an interview with Ray, he spoke of his love for the cat, and the cats love for him, often bringing him several mice, which is a cats greatest way of showing appreciation, along with a rabbit or two!
When speaking to Ruth - she has told us the cat has several innocuous cysts but the larger one on Elsa’s head is the biggest concern, which is why she started a fundraising campaign to raise £2,000 in order to get Elsa the operation she needs.
When Hammonds were notified, the fundraising page was a little under £400 short of their target goal, so we have donated the rest as gratitude for not only the history of this cat at Hammonds, but also more than likely over a decade’s worth of pest control by Elsa!
Elsa has had her operation successfully and is doing extremely well! She has just celebrated her 17th Birthday and is as happy as she has ever been! You can see how well she looks with the new images below. We are so happy we could play a small part in getting Elsa back to full health given how well she served us for over a decade at Hammonds!
Sources: Leicester Mercury Article by Shannen Headley https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/woman-reunited-cat-after-14-6289955
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