A seven-year old cat who was underweight and suffering from severe cat flu when he was rescued as now landed on his paws in the purrfect home.
David, a LaPerm cat, was rescued by the RSPCA in February from Kettering in Northamptonshire after being spotted looking worse for wear by a member of the public. 
Thankfully, they contacted the RSPCA for help and Rebecca Frost, an apprentice Animal Collection Officer (ACO) collected David and took him to the vets straight away.
She said: “Sadly, he was in such a sorry state when I picked him up. The poor cat was underweight and very poorly with cat flu and although he was microchipped, the number registered to the chip was invalid and there was no response at the address listed so we were unable to find an owner for him.
“His eyes were all gunky from the flu and his curly coat was matted. It really was touch and go for this little fella.”
He was taken to RSPCA Northamptonshire branch who helped to rehabilitate David and get him back on his paws. It took four long months before he was back to full health.
He was suffering so badly from the flu that the staff at the branch didn’t think he would make it. It took a long while before he turned a corner but when he finally did he became a happy, friendly cat once again.
He was rehomed to Jane Eimermann and her partner at the end of May – in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis which meant she met David virtually and saw videos of him before the same officer who rescued David then delivered him to her door.
Rebecca said: “It was fantastic to see him months later looking a picture of health and going off to his forever home.
“From looking at him now you would never guess what he has been through and how touch and go it was for him. He has had a complete transformation and I’m so pleased I was able to be a part of it and take him to his new home.”
As the charity’s centres and branches are currently closed to the public, the charity has adopted new rehoming processes following strict social distancing guidelines. This means that first meetings and ‘home visits’ are now completed on Zoom, and officers then deliver animals to the new owners in their vans.
David has now been living with Jane in South Northamptonshire for around six weeks and has well and truly settled in.Jane said: “He’s doing great. He’s a very affectionate cat, even right from the beginning. It seemed like he settled in straight away. I gradually introduced him to different parts of the house and in recent weeks introduced him to the garden but most of the time he’s just with us. He seems happy and content, and loves sitting on my lap, or just somewhere near me which is exactly what we wanted. I wanted a lap cat and he is.”
David is the only pet, so he also gets their full attention. He’s put on a little bit more weight since living with Jane and thankfully is now a long way from the skinny cat he once was.
“He’s so friendly and looks so lovely now, you would never guess he’s been through all that.” Jane explained. “We’re so pleased with him.”
