“This was a cat whose whole world had suddenly disappeared,” the Stray Cat Rescue Team West Midlands wrote about the feline
A black cat named Nibbles was rescued from a home in England after her owner unexpectedly died.
Describing her story as “one of the most heartbreaking situations we’ve ever walked into,” the Stray Cat Rescue Team West Midlands, located in Albrighton, Wolverhampton, shared on Sunday, Oct. 25, that its rescuers found Nibbles after she was “left alone for weeks with her deceased owner.”
According to a Facebook post from the U.K. rescue, officials determined that the owner had been deceased for roughly a month before being discovered. The body was then removed from the home about two weeks later; however, a friend of the former owner was concerned about his cat.
“There was something worrying her terribly … She knew he had a cat,” the rescue wrote. “Nobody seemed to know what had happened to her.”
The rescue says it was told the police hadn’t seen a cat at the property and “despite concerns being raised, neither the police nor the RSPCA had been able to help.” In response, the rescue sent staffers to the property to search for the animal.
“Nothing could have prepared us for what we walked into,” the rescue’s post read. “Thankfully, the back door was unlocked, allowing us to get inside. The smell was absolutely horrific. The conditions were heartbreaking.” A rescue team member added that they “genuinely expected to find a cat who had already died.”
“Somehow, against all the odds, she was alive,” the post revealed. “This poor little girl had been trapped inside that property, completely alone, with no open windows, no way of escaping, and nobody coming to care for her.”
The rescue shared that Nibbles kept herself alive by eating from a large bag of dry food left in the house. Crew members also believe she got water from the toilet.
“Perhaps the most heartbreaking of all? It was so obvious how much her owner had loved her,” the rescue wrote, noting how many toys, including cat trees and a robotic litter tray, were scattered around the property.
“This wasn’t a cat who had been forgotten by her owner. This was a cat whose whole world had suddenly disappeared,” highlighted the rescue.
Three days after her rescue, Nibbles had “decompressed” and begun socializing with volunteers who are “working hard to get her through the trauma she has endured,” the rescue shared in an update.
“We got you girl, onwards and upwards I promise you,” the post read. “I hope your daddy is looking down on you, and happy you are finally safe.”
Though Nibbles’ story ended on a positive note, the rescue encouraged pet owners who live alone to make sure someone knows about their animals in cases of emergency.
“How many are sitting behind closed doors right now, frightened, hungry and waiting for someone who is never coming home?” the rescue questioned. “Please, if you know somebody who lives alone with pets, make sure someone knows those animals exist. Make sure there’s a plan for them if something happens. Look out for each other.”