A heroic dog barked to the rescue when she found an abandoned cat in a pet carrier hidden in park bushes.

Two-year-old English Cocker Spaniel, Maisie had been on a morning dog walk with her owner in Wormwood Scrubs Park in February, when she discovered a female cat abandoned in her carrier with nothing but a note left on the top.

Maisie instantly alerted her owner, Pam, to the scene with persistent barking and would not move away until Pam looked in the bushes and found the cat.

Pam said: “Maisie and I were walking through the trees in the park on our morning dog walk, when she suddenly stopped and started barking at some bushes.

“Usually Maisie barks when she wants a stick, so I got one for her but she just ignored it and carried on staring at the bushes and would not move - that was when I thought she must have found something.”

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When Pam went to investigate what Maisie was barking at, she discovered a carrier hidden away in the bushes with a poor, frightened cat shut inside.

The note on top read: "My name is Lily, I am 5 yrs old, I need a home as I am now homeless. Please take care of me."

Pam said: “I felt shocked and tearful when I found Lily. Being an owner of two cats myself, I couldn’t believe that somebody could do that, and thought that her previous owner must have been in a desperate situation.”

Provided with warmth and food

Thankfully Maisie came to the rescue and helped save Lily the cat
Thankfully Maisie came to the rescue and helped save Lily the cat

Despite not having any access to food or water and not being able to escape from her carrier, Lily appeared to be in good health other than being very scared.

Maisie the dog was Lily’s unlikely hero.

Pam said: “The cat carrier wasn’t clearly visible from the outside of the bushes, so if it wasn’t for Maisie, I don’t know how long Lily would have been left there.”

Pam took Lily home and provided her with warmth, food and the chance to get out of her carrier, before bringing her into The Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Green .

When Lily arrived at The Mayhew their vet team were on hand to give her a full check-up and found that, despite being petrified after her ordeal, she was thankfully in good condition.

The vets discovered that Lily had been microchipped, which said she was 11 years old and unfortunately had the wrong contact details on the chip.

'Irresponsible thing to do'

Poor Lily was left abandoned by her owner in Wormwoods Scrubs Park
Poor Lily was left abandoned by her owner in Wormwoods Scrubs Park

The Mayhew’s cattery team settled Lily into a cosy cabin with plenty of access to food and water, where she could feel relaxed, safe and secure.

Animal Welfare Officer at The Mayhew Animal Home, Alisa Ford, said: “To dump a cat in her carrier without access to food, water or the chance to escape is an irresponsible thing to do.

We are so glad that Maisie found Lily quickly, as it’s worrying to think what would have happened to her otherwise.”

“At The Mayhew we help hundreds of people in crisis situations every year, and we wish that whoever had owned Lily had come to us or another cat shelter instead of abandoning her in the park.

“We encourage people who are having problems looking after their pet to get in contact with us so we can see what we can do to help; we do not judge anyone and are here to help the animal.”

Lily recovered well in The Mayhew’s cattery, and as soon as she was ready for adoption, she found herself a new home, all thanks to the heroic pooch.