A retirement home for Bonjuk

Elderly cat Bonjuk has a lovely retirement home waiting for him in the UK. It will be quite a change from his previous home, as Cordelia from Nine Lives Greece recounts:

“Shortly before Christmas we got a phone call from a woman asking us to come and trap a cat in her building. When we got there, she explained that her elderly upstairs neighbour had died two weeks previously. No-one had realised or remembered she had a cat, until the downstairs neighbour heard noises coming from upstairs and put two and two together.

Luckily this neighbour had a key, so we went in together. The poor old lady must have had some mental issues, as her apartment was knee-deep in bags of rubbish. Our hearts sank, as you can well imagine. Apart from the sheer filth, how on earth were we going to find the poor cat among all this? But luckily it turned out that the cat had been shut in one room, free of rubbish bags but strewn with used litter trays.

The cat had been alone in there with no water or food for 12 days at least. He was an elderly straggly, long-haired grey-and-white tomcat, watching us balefully and suspiciously. But the moment we opened a tin of food he came darting over, starving, and went straight into the trap.

He spent two weeks at the vet, having all the necessary checks, fluids and good food, and being neutered. His blood tests showed he had high blood sugar, so he was prescribed a special diet for life. His chances of finding another loving home seemed sadly slim: old, diabetic, and understandably suspicious of everyone.

But, a miracle! One of our dear friends and supporters in the UK has offered a retirement home to this golden oldie, where he’ll enjoy a warm bed, regular meals and affection (he has discovered the joys of chin-rubs and strokes!) for his remaining years.”

What Cordelia saw on entering the apartment

The state of the room where Bonjuk had been left

The lad himself