My nosy neighbours sent a letter saying I’d been reported for ANIMAL ABUSE because my cat was sitting on ‘hard ground’
AN animal-loving couple was baffled to find a neighbour had reported them for abuse after seeing their cats sat on the "hard ground".
Fay Massey and Brian Helliwell, both 72, rescue animals from around the world and foster them until they have a home.
The couple, from Wigston, Leicestershire, say they "adore animals" and let their cats roam freely with access to food and water all day.
But they were horrified to find their methods had upset one nosey neighbour, who accused them of making their cats "depressed" by leaving them outside on the "hard ground".
Writing to them in an anonymous letter, the neighbour said: "The past few months I have been living in Wigston I have noticed at least three or four lovely cats in your driveway.
"The more I would see them, the more I would start to question the safety of these cats.
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"Whether you are in your house all day or not, it is not fair to leave the cats outside all day.
"I often drive by at different parts of the day and see them all sitting there instead of the comforts of a home as they should be.
"One bowl of food [and] water is not sufficient for these cats and how rotten that food could get being outside all day is animal abuse.
"You may love these cats but this is no way [of] life for them, especially one of them looking really young.
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"I can't see any personality in these cats, they look depressed due to them being on hard ground all day. How would you like it?"
The letter went on to add they have raised the case with "a number of animal charities that have advised me to contact you to do two things".
It advised: "1- Have the cats indoors - please note I have been and will be monitoring the driveway and will continue to do so.
"2- Take them to a cattery or animal charity that will give these cats the life they should be living in a warm comfortable home."
Fay and Brian, who are both retired, were shocked to receive the letter, insisting they have set feeding times for all of their animals.
They also give their pets "constant" access to food and water throughout the day and despite the letter suggesting there was just one, "rotten" bowl of food for all of the cats, they insist they put multiple bowls of fresh food and water down for their pets everyday, both inside and outside their home.
I can't see any personality in these cats, they look depressed due to them being on hard ground all day. How would you like it?
Anonymous letter of complaint
Former catering worker Fay said: "You can't keep a cat in. We've got the cat flap, it's never shut so they can come and go when they like.
"If we didn't care about these cats, why would we be taking them to get checked and paying the vet bills?
"It just wound us up knowing the way we are with animals for a person to have moved here for a couple of months and say 'I don't think you're looking after your animals' because they're sitting on the front.
"I'll fight for my animals but they can come in the house and stop overnight if they want to see how the cats live."
The avid rescuers currently have five rescue dogs as well as their six cats and frequently work with animal rescue charities, fostering cats and dogs until they find their forever home.
Of their six cats they say they bought one of them from a charity that rescues strays in Romania and brings them to the UK.
They also claim to have taken the other five cats in over the years from previous local owners who did not want them anymore.
Brian said: "Everybody around here knows that Fay is Dr Doolittle - Fay looks after every animal on this earth, she'd have them all if she could.
"The person that's sent this doesn't know anything about cats - you can't lock any animal up, especially cats.
We're in so many rescues around the world where they get stray dogs from Romania and Bulgaria and we foster them until they find them a home. It's all voluntary, we don't get a cent for anything.
Fay Massey
"That's abuse, locking a cat up in a house rather than letting it roam.
"If they're not willing to stand for it, why don't they come and identify themselves? We will welcome any rescue coming round to check our house and animals."
After the anonymous neighbour warned they were "monitoring" the couple and their rescued animals at their home, Fay and Brian decided to report the letter to the police.
Fay said: "The letter was posted in the pillar box across the road which is about ten doors down.
"The person has put it in the pillar box knowing that we live ten doors away because they've put our address on the letter.
"But they still put it in the pillar box across the road because obviously they don't want us to see them on the camera on the door.
"We've been to the police station and they're saying we can put a poster outside asking this anonymous person to please come to our house and we will accept you in and show you how we live with the cats."
She added: "We're in so many rescues around the world where they get stray dogs from Romania and Bulgaria and we foster them until they find them a home.
"It's all voluntary, we don't get a cent for anything. I will not turn any animal away because I adore animals.
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"I wish this person would come to the house and they can see for herself how the cats live."
Leicestershire Police was contacted for comment.
