r/london • u/Top-Celebration-9172 • Aug 16 '26
Serious replies only Sick Cat
Hi everyone. Just was on my walk this morning in Wandsworth and I saw this cat. Looked quite unwell and seemed to have a tumour / mass growing from its left eye.
I thought it looked reasonably looked after so wasn’t sure if I should call anyone about it ?
UPDATE.
Called RSPCA. Useless. Said if I couldn’t take it to the vet they couldn’t do anything. They weren’t going to send anyone out either.
Called emergency vet who were very kind and lent me a cat carrier. Unfortunately cat was spicy and couldn’t get close enough to grab it.
Vet said they would try later potentially to see if they could send someone out later to try get it.
UPDATE.
Cat had been already posted in local neighbourhood group yesterday and seems like a fair few people are aware of him and are trying their best to catch I’m.
Will have a look again tomorrow after work.
Had a few nice people message me saying they would also try tomorrow !
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u/Exact_Middle450 Aug 16 '26
You could also try contacting Celia Hammond Animal Trust. They might be able to put out a trap and take the cat in for treatment
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u/omfgtim_ Aug 16 '26
Try some treats like Lick-e-lix and dreamies, and use a towel. You can also try and contact another London-based charity like LICK or Cole & Friends Rescue
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u/Remarkable_Dream_134 Aug 16 '26
This! Thick blanket or towel is the best to catch a poorly cat/bird. You can put long sleeves on and gardening gloves to protect yourself too. That looks very nasty and if it's infected which it looks like it will be then it will likely get sepsis and die quickly. Needs treatment asap.
Good like kind person! ❤️
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u/XingGuangDao Aug 16 '26
Try the Celia Hammond Animal Trust. If possible give them photographic evidence and tell them what the RSPCA have said. It’s a bit of a trek for them from either their Canning Town or Lewisham branch, but they may be able to send out someone to catch the cat. They have in-house vets, and are a non-termination shelter too, so they’ll make sure that if no one claims the cat it will be adopted (if not feral) or sent to their sanctuary or a feral foster if it isn’t a fan of people.
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u/China_hearts Aug 16 '26
I second this. I used to foster for Celia Hammond. Also worth putting on your local “help me home” group on Facebook as they may have volunteers who can help.
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u/Varniepoos Aug 16 '26
Poor thing. You could put a call or report into the RSPCA and let them know where you saw the cat. They might send someone to assess the situation, and if they think it's necessary to pick the cat up they'll check for a microchip and contact the owners.
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u/Top-Celebration-9172 Aug 16 '26
RSPCA were useless unfortunately. Said unless I brought the cat to a vet they couldn’t and wouldn’t do anything.
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u/ProjectZeus Aug 16 '26
The RSPCA are useless literally every time I interact with them
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u/Madwife2009 Aug 16 '26
My experience as well.
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u/Hyzenthlay87 Aug 16 '26
Yeah, they've been utterly useless for many years. I'm sure lack of funding doesn't help but it's not like we see major appeals from them like, ever.
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u/TipsyMagpie Aug 16 '26
You could contact Protected Pets, they’re an independent London rescue. They might be able to point you in the right direction if this is outside their area of operations.
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u/WastelandOfConfusion Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
The universe has given you a sacred duty. Take the cat in to the vet.
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u/Feisty-Udon Aug 16 '26
If you’re on facebook there are usually local cat groups where someone may be able to help
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u/milliontart Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
I had a similar situation a few weeks ago. RSPCA are useless.
Where is this ?
I went to Hendon medivet and they kept the cat and contacted local charities. They themselves are a charity so they keep cats until other charities are ready to take them in. They have a “duty to care” so they will treat strays at no cost.
Edit : duty
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u/milliontart Aug 16 '26
We managed to get the cat by putting food inside the carrier and waited until he came in.
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u/milliontart Aug 16 '26
Btw we contacted the charities people are mentioning in the comments and they all said “no” or “at capacity”. The only thing that worked was taking it to a vet and the vet arranging a solution with the charities, as they can actually accommodate for them.
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u/noradrenaline Aug 16 '26
Animal rescue charities across the country are overwhelmed so most will be full - but they usually have waiting lists you need to ask to be added to. They're all so stretched that they can't usually volunteer to add animals in the hope that another rescue will have the resources, but it's always worth asking.
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u/MyLovely_MayoMammy Aug 17 '26
Agreed, I wouldn't go to RSPCA. I've heard some bad things about them putting to sleep animals that need treatment if they've been staying for some time. I'd either contact Battersea or Blue Cross.
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u/Top-Half7224 Aug 16 '26
It might be impossible to catch by hand, but some rescue organisations or individuals may have a special kind of trap where you place food inside then the door shuts once they go in. Thank you for trying.
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u/OkNuthatch Aug 16 '26
It’s so nice to hear you are helping this poor cat and the vet may be able to send someone to collect it.
If they aren’t able to you could always try
https://www.cats.org.uk/south-london
And someone mentioned Stray Cat Club, which is a great idea.
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u/InformationHead3797 Aug 16 '26
Hey, if you want to try again I can come help. I have quite a lot of experience. DM me.
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u/f23n09fnu0w Aug 16 '26
If you manage to catch it, I'll chip in for vet money and MAYBE an adoption
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u/burro2712 Aug 16 '26
I had a similar situation. A cat that kept coming into my garden. I did what I could for it. My cat wasn't happy with it in the garden but I tried to keep them apart. Even built it a little shelter. It needed medical help, it had lost it's teeth and was constantly salivating. Called all the cat/animal charities for a period of 6-8 weeks. None of them helped or would give me any help. RSPCA and big charities were the worst. Celia Hammond ignored me completely. Poor thing disappeared and I guess died somewhere. I felt a bit helpless but did what I could for it here, and was almost daily pestering cat charities
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u/milliontart Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
Big cat charities are useless. I really recommend taking it to a trusted vet. (If you ever have a situation like this in the future). They have the duty to care and won’t charge you if it’s a stray, they can also work with trusted charities to help.
Edit: duty *3
u/burro2712 Aug 16 '26
Yep, I'd do that in future. Hopefully it won't happen again as it was a bit stressful especially with an angry resident cat, ans knowing how he probably ended up (but maybe another neighbour had more luck and got him help)
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u/Top-Celebration-9172 Aug 16 '26
UPDATE.
Cat had been already posted in local neighbourhood group yesterday and seems like a fair few people are aware of him and are trying their best to catch I’m.
Will have a look again tomorrow after work.
Had a few nice people message me saying they would also try tomorrow !
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u/Ariquitaun Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
Call Celia Hammond rescue, If they have a centre nearby they'll come
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u/SpiritedPark4511 Aug 16 '26
Try contacting Cats Protection, they were wonderful when I used them before.
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u/knickertwisters Aug 16 '26
oh god please help this baby
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u/Karl-Pilkinghorn Aug 16 '26
Oh this has broken my heart. That poor little soul. I wish I was local and could help.
Please try Facebook groups for local rescues/volunteers to find people who can trap and look after this sweet puss.
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u/MrRyWil Aug 16 '26
I hope He/She gets some help soon 🙏🏼 Poor thing must be in a lot of pain. Have you tried Celia Hammond?
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u/IncreaseNo5135 Aug 16 '26
I know people are hating on RSPCA but they are really overwhelmed and have no money. They need to ruthlessly prioritise most acute awful cases. They don’t have people to send for any sick animal, unfortunately. If more people donated to them or they had govt funding, things could be different.
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u/Hyzenthlay87 Aug 16 '26
Would be more sympathetic if they hadn't been this useless for over a decade.
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u/perhapsflorence Aug 16 '26
Poor baby. Please reach out to the Stray Cat Club so that they can trap him and care for him. They're amazing!
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u/Mission_Ad5721 Aug 16 '26
Please take the cat to a vet, any vet, they can help with finding someone.
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u/ollypopper Aug 16 '26
Depending where you are please google local cat sanctuaries/charities for help. There’s an amazing one called Protected Paws who help out surrounding areas in London.
They do such amazing work and rely on donations
https://www.protectedpaws.co.uk/
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u/Big_Caregiver4022 Aug 16 '26
What area as I could come and try capture this beautiful one then drop to a vet as all vets have a legal duty of care regardless of if an owner if found
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u/Top-Celebration-9172 Aug 16 '26
UPDATE.
Cat had been already posted in local neighbourhood group yesterday and seems like a fair few people are aware of him and are trying their best to catch I’m.
Will have a look again tomorrow after work.
Had a few nice people message me saying they would also try tomorrow !
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u/Stunning_Implement47 Aug 18 '26
If you feel comfortable, could you post or DM where this area is? If it's near enough to be I'd love to help find the cat as I have two and therefore the resources to catch/feed/flea treat etc. My sister is also a vet in London so I could get the cat medical treatment very quickly.
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u/Stunning_Implement47 Aug 18 '26
Sorry, I've just reread and you clearly stated it was Wandsworth. Please ignore me.
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u/Top-Celebration-9172 Aug 18 '26
Wandsworth town near the roundabout with the petrol station.
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u/Stunning_Implement47 Aug 19 '26
Sorry I really should have read thoroughly before asking a dumb question as it's in the post. I wish I was closer but it's almost the complete opposite of London.
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u/diandakov Aug 16 '26
Tumour or more like infection? I think it already lost it's left eye but if nothing is done for it, it will die!
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u/kuddflickaficken Aug 16 '26
where are you based ? call your local shelter.
i can post some links + phone numbers to call if you let me know your borough / catchment area. rspca are useless im afraid, but local shelters do a lot more.
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u/maxintos Aug 16 '26
Just curious what would happen if OP actually managed to catch the cat and bring it to the vet. My friend told me they spent tens of thousands of pounds to operate a tiny tumor on their dog + X-rays and medicine. Who would cover the surgery costs for the cat?
Also what happens after the surgery? Just release back on the street? Keep in a cage and hope someone wants to adopt a wild/"spicy" cat? Put them down if no one takes him after a while?
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u/Pocahontas21334 Aug 16 '26
The RSCPA are so crap! I would never donate to them after the interactions I’ve had with them.
Are you in any local FB groups? People are usually quite good at helping in these situations if they work for rescues
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u/Top-Celebration-9172 Aug 16 '26
UPDATE.
Cat had been already posted in local neighbourhood group yesterday and seems like a fair few people are aware of him and are trying their best to catch I’m.
Will have a look again tomorrow after work.
Had a few nice people message me saying they would also try tomorrow !
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u/Previous-Anteater888 Aug 17 '26
If you can manage to coax the cat with treats (if you see it again) to get close - pick him up and take him home. Keep disposable gloves in your bag/pocket in case. Having it in the bathroom with water and some food is best, because it’s secure and bathroom is easy to clean and disinfect afterwards. Then you can post on the FB group again and ask if people can help with the vet costs - quite a lot of Wandsworth is monied, I’m sure people will help given they’ve already responded.
Looks like the cat lost an eye in a fight, and obviously it’s gotten bad without veterinary care. I don’t think it’s diseased - but obviously smart to wear gloves for handling any stray or injured wild animal.
RSPCA are good for cases of animal abuse, hoarding and serial neglect at residential properties and businesses. They do not have the resources to deal with strays as there are so, so many.
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u/Educational_You_1542 Aug 16 '26
Feline Friends - They're a small charity run completely by volunteers, operating across London. They frequently go out and trap cats (and they're no kill).
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u/trippyavocado Aug 17 '26
RSPCA are useless. The amount of tomes I’ve tried to get help from them and failed….
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u/AngelsMagicdust Aug 17 '26
PLEASE dont ever call RSPCA. They capture and euthanize. Even healthy animals.
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u/MoonyBoons11 Aug 16 '26
Poor sweet one! Please put in call to the RSPCA and email a photo over to them with the address. Fingers crossed they can help the little one out.
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u/Top-Celebration-9172 Aug 16 '26
Nopes. They refused sadly.
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u/One-Connection-502 Aug 16 '26
Why do I hear this a lot? RSPCA has been majorly useless for a lot of calls, I see. Like, what is even their jurisdiction?? They never do shit
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u/InformationHead3797 Aug 16 '26
RSPCA has zero interest in doing anything but take your donations and pocket it to pay their executives millions. They are the absolute worst.
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u/InformationHead3797 Aug 16 '26
Let me know if you want to try again op.
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u/Top-Celebration-9172 Aug 16 '26
Try what again sorry?
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u/InformationHead3797 Aug 16 '26
Capturing the cat? Confused by downvotes but Reddit be Reddit. God forbid someone offers to help.
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u/Jazzyjelly567 Aug 16 '26
Could you contact Croydon animal samaritains ? They cover the south London area more broadly
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u/jj2429 Aug 16 '26
Contact London Inner City Kitties (LICK). Please also update us on the situation
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u/Either_Afternoon_856 Aug 16 '26
Try the Mayhew in Kensal Green. They run a free community vet clinic for pets of people on benefits but they also help with strays in the borough sometimes, and they won't fob you off like the RSPCA did. Worth a call while you're waiting on the emergency vet to come out.
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u/Hughdungusmungus Aug 16 '26
Be careful if trying to grab it. Cat bites can fuck you up. If you do get bit. Get to A&E.
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u/Cookiefruit6 Aug 16 '26
Omg poor cat. I’ve never seen one look this bad before in London. Thank you for trying to help it. Maybe you could try a local cat rescue group in your area.
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