Fellow cat rescuer and face book friend, Timothy Worel, of South Wales needs our help.

Over 6 months ago, Timothy had a stroke and was rushed to hospital.  Before he left, his neighbour assured him that she would feed his 6 cats – Casper -- pictured above -- Mini, KitKat, Milo, Lucie and Daisy -- until he was released from hospital and could care for them himself.  Instead, they were all seized by the RSPCA because they apparently did not approve of Timothy’s ”housekeeping standards.“ He has been trying to get them back ever since. 

The seizure was not about cruelty, abuse or neglect; in fact, the cats were seen once a month by a local vet.  Casper, a friendly, laid back senior, has been ill.  He is a diabetic and Mini, is in first stage renal failure.  They have been receiving treatment from their vet and he has assessed them on a monthly basis.  All the cats were in good condition under Timothy’s care but are not fairing well with the RSPCA.

Timothy has not been allowed to visit with his 6 cats and the RSPCA claims they are depressed.  Given that they were torn from a safe and loving home, confined to cages and not allowed any contact with Timothy over the past 6 months, depression is not surprising.  Not only have they had no contact with Timothy, they have also been separated from each other.

Meanwhile, the RSPCA vet has diagnosed Casper with suspected Lymphoma and has issued a Section 18 Certificate on him.  This gives them the right to euthanise without Timothy’s consent.  The symptoms that they cite, vomiting and diarrhoea, could be caused by anything from a change in diet to a terminal illness. A number of tests need to be undertaken to confirm or disprove their diagnosis.   Casper’s vet, a well-known referral vet and the insurance company have already looked at the way forward, whatever the diagnosis might be.  All 6 cats are fully insured by Timothy and their Vet supports Timothy's request for custody.

The RSPCA promised to refer Casper to his own vet, however, eleven days later, he has still not been taken in. Time is of the essence if his illness is treatable.  Timothy is  legally entitled to have all his cats examined, at RSPCA expense, by a Vet of his choice. We firmly believe that the cats’ own vet, who has been seeing them for years and has the records, is best placed to give an honest, professional report on their condition and how that has changed since they were seized.      

We respectfully request that Casper be immediately provided with the veterinary treatment that he needs and, that he, and the other members of Timothy’s “crew” be examined by their personal vet with a view to returning them to Timothy’s custody.

We ask that you support Timothy in his fight by signing this petition requesting that RSPCA Chief Inspector Spence of the Greater Cardiff Area, Chris Sherwood Chief Executive of the RSPCA and local Inspector Gemma Cooper immediately return his cats to Timothy's love and care.