Web's most popular cat finds home

Betsy, as she has been named, became a minor celebrity when London's only cat vet posted videos of her on the Internet in an attempt to find her owners. However, it was an article in a local newspaper describing her as "old, homeless and [with] a tendency to lash out unexpectedly" that ultimately led to her re-homing.

Since being rescued by Kitten to Cat in June, Betsy became a star attraction with nearly 4,000 "friends" on feline social networking site United Cats. The cat only vet clinic, based in Kew, Richmond has been inundated with messages of support from all over the world.

Cat vet Zeta Frasca has been using the story to raise awareness of the importance of micro-chipping. "Betsy's owners had her micro-chipped so we should have been able to reunite her. Unfortunately they didn't update the register when they moved house so we had no way of finding them. After exhausting all the options we had to re-home her."

After reading about Betsy in the Richmond Informer, a local Kew resident visited Betsy in the clinic and fell in love saying "after my Missy died two years ago there were many reasons not to have another cat, but Betsy filled all the criteria."

For Betsy, who was known more for her tendency to lash out at photographers (pictures) than being social it was a purrfect arrangement. Her behavioural problems - a result of living on the street and prolonged neglect - were not an issue for her new owner who dismissed them as a challenge saying "I was so blown away by her beauty I was not concerned!"

Describing their first week together she added, "We both had to work hard to get along, and Betsy worked even harder. During the first week, after a lot of biting and scratching, I was sitting in her room feeling battered and bruised, nursing my sore hand and wondering where we were going to next, when she came up to me and with every fibre of her being looked up at me, locked her eyes meaningfully into mine, put out her paw and laid it on my hand, as if to say: "Don't be sad, I'm not really that bad!". This was a turning point."

Betsy's story has captivated the local community, with local pet portrait artist Sandra Palme donating a painting of Betsy which now hangs in the clinic as a memento.

Simon Hade
London's only cat vet "Kitten to Cat"

Read full story: Help Betsy

Pictures of Betsy

About Kitten to Cat. Opened in March 2008, Kitten to Cat is London's only cat only veterinary clinic. In addition to a cat friendly veterinary surgery, Kitten to Cat, has boarding facilities equipped with web cams so owners can make a Skype video call anytime to check up on their loved ones. Kitten to Cat is based in Kew, Richmond in West London