Battersea Dogs & Cats HomeMonique is a beautiful, domestic, medium-hair cat, who adores spending time with her human pals and having her fluffy little chin rubbed.
With a gentle, affectionate disposition – not to mention a coat which calls out to be stroked – one would assume two-year-old Monique would have be batting off offers for a home with her adorable little paws.
However, the sweet moggy has now spent a whopping 115 days at Battersea Dogs & Cats home, without a whisker of interest from potential pet owners.
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home To make matters even more heartbreaking, Battersea staff’s attempts to throw Monique a birthday party – to mark her 100th day at the shelter – fell disappointingly short of their hopes for her special day.
Ironically coinciding with Valentine’s Day – the one day when no-one should feel unloved – Monique’s party was a complete and utter washout.
Despite determined efforts from staff to decorate Monique’s pen nicely and spread news of the celebration online, nobody came to wish her a happy birthday. Monique was left playing with her new special toys alone, without a single offer of a forever home.
It’s believed the woeful lack of interest in this gorgeous girl could well be because she suffers from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), a slow-acting virus which weakens a cat’s immune system.
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Although most cats with FIV can and do enjoy long, happy and healthy lives, their owners do need to ‘cat proof’ their garden; ensuring their pets can explore outside without coming into contact with other cats and potentially spreading the virus. FIV cannot be spread to humans.
Battersea’s Cattery Team Leader, Chrissie Grindrod, told the Metro:
It’s always a shame to see one of our cats be repeatedly overlooked, especially one so young and with so much to offer as a pet.
Monique is a gentle soul who thrives with human company, whether that be playing with her favourite toys together or curling up side by side on the sofa.
She also won’t ever say no to a chin rub or two. Her birthday and Valentine’s Day may now have passed, but it’s not too late to give Monique her dream gift of a lovely new home.
Monique the cat is looking for a home after nobody turned up to her birthday party 😭 she has FIV (which cannot be passed to humans) and has been with us for 115 days. Meet Monique 👉 https://t.co/JoznipMKKL 👈 pic.twitter.com/JEbQApX0Na
— Battersea Public Affairs (@Battersea_PA) February 28, 2020
Chrissie continued:
We would encourage any potential owners to get in touch regardless of what they do or don’t know already know about FIV, and whether or not their garden is currently cat proof.
Our team are always on hand to answer any questions and offer advice including the simple steps required to secure a garden for a FIV+ pet to enjoy. Monique is a wonderful cat who deserves loving owners willing to go the extra mile for her, we assure you she’s worth it.
It’s always sad when a pet is in need of a home, particularly when they would make such a cuddly and loving companion. Is there room on your lap and in your heart for Monique?
Find out more about Monique on the Battersea website here.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.