Freya the stressed-out cat got a new lease of nine lives thanks to staff at Ashley Heath RSPCA centre

FREYA the stressed-out cat got a new lease of her nine lives thanks to staff at the RSPCA centre in Ashley Heath.

She came into the rescue site underweight and neglected but soon responded to treatment and piled on the pounds. However, she was still suffering mentally, and took it out on staff by growling and swiping at her carers.

Tara Longworth, animal care supervisor, said: “Poor Freya found life in the cattery very frustrating, and even though she came in with another cat it was clear being around all these other cats was stressful for her. We’re very lucky to have a separate room we can use to keep cats who need more space or some peace and quiet, so we quickly moved Freya into this space.

“She became much calmer, but she still didn’t seem to enjoy much interaction.”

The centre’s behaviour team met with Freya and designed a plan of activities to help make her feel calmer.

Freya’s plan involved providing all her meals in puzzle feeders and giving her toy mice to enable her to engage in normal behaviours like chasing.

Tara said: “This really seemed to calm her, but she was still reluctant to be picked up, which meant getting her into a carrier for a vet check was extremely difficult.

“It was also really obvious that Freya is a very intelligent cat, and we wanted to be able to provide her with more enrichment and reduce that frustration and boredom.”

Target stick training, which invloved treats, was employed to help improve her behaviour so she could be re-homed. This enabled them to eventually encourage her into a pet carrier.

She also went on an agility course, weaving in and out of posts, over jumps and through tunnels. It was the first time that kind of training has been used on a cat at the centre.

For more information on the work of the RSPCA at Ashley Heath, visit https://www.rspca.org.uk/local/ashley-heath-animal-centre