The cat had been betrayed, abandoned, and shunned because of a test result. In the bitter cold of winter…
A cat called Charlie is found outside his own block of flats. The poor thing paces nervously, meowing plaintively, scratching at the cold metal door, and even trying to bite it with his teeth. He is terrified of the outdoorshes never been outside before. Used to a life filled with warmth and comfort, this trusting boy approaches anyone who passes bybe it a neighbour or a stranger. He weaves around their legs, trembling all over, gazing into their eyes as if pleading for someone to rescue him from this frightening world hes been thrown into, one moment curled up on his bed by the radiator, the next out in the snow, wind, and freezing temperatures.
As it turns out, the reason for this was heartbreakingly simple. His owner had decided to get a second pet after seeing an advert offering a pedigree cat for free. The person in charge of rehoming the new cat requested that the resident cat be tested first. Tests were done, and they came back showing Charlie carried the feline immunodeficiency virus. The illness didnt actually affect him and posed no threat whatsoever to humans or dogs. The virus is strictly species-specific, passed only between cats.
Even so, for Charlie, the virus only showed up in laboratory markershis immune system kept it firmly under control, stopping it from progressing or becoming contagious. Yet his owner wanted none of it: a sick cat was not what she signed up for, what if it was contagious? She didnt bother to find out that he posed zero risk to people, nor did she try to understand. She simply put her pet outside in the middle of winter.
It was the concierge who stepped in and raised the alarm. She noticed Charlie was no longer moving around outside the door, but had curled up tightly on the snowy ground, barely moving. Frozen and exhausted, hed started to drift off. And falling asleep in these conditions nearly always ends in tragedy. The concierge refused to walk past himshe brought Charlie into her office, wrapped him in her own jacket by a heater, and offered her packed lunch. A simple meal of rice turned out to be lifesaving for Charliewarmth and food revived him.
Later, Charlie was taken to a shelter. The hypothermia was severe, and he had a nasty cold, but treatment worked. Now, Charlie has made a full recovery, grown stronger, and has learned to trust people again. Hes neutered, fully vaccinated, and has a vet passport to his name.
Hes still a young cat at only three years old. Incredibly affectionate, he craves human companyhell hug with his paws, purr right into your ear, as though singing his own little cat tunes. He loves nothing more than head-butting you and kissingits his favourite thing. Every time the volunteers leave him and return him to his kennel, its heartbreakingly hard. Charlie is a true house cat, meant for cosy rooms and caring hands.
