“It made me feel like everything was going to be okay” Stray cat becomes inspiration for Salford animal charity

A Salford resident was inspired to start up an animal charity after she helped by a stray cat.

Georgia Mead, 27, has lived in Salford since she was 13-years-old and works as a hairdresser in a salon in Manchester.

Whilst cleaning up the salon during a working day, Georgia accidentally slipped and fell, inadvertently spilling boiling hot water on her foot and burning it. She was the only one present in the salon at the time, and was unable to stand up because of the pain.

“I was thinking ‘what am I going to do?’ I was all on my own!” Georgia said.

Help did indeed come for her, but not in the way she expected. A stray cat managed to enter the salon from the back door and kept her company until her colleagues returned. “In all honesty, it was with me for what seemed like ten minutes, and it made me feel so much better. It made me feel like everything was going to be okay.”

Because of her experience, Georgia has initiated plans to start a charity called Pets and People Together, which in her words, aims to “do what it says on the tin – bring animals and people together for comfort.”

“With Pets and People Together, I want to combine two things I feel passionately about… the problem of loneliness which is something older people in particular struggle with, and animal welfare.”

The issue of loneliness amongst adults in the United Kingdom is becoming more and more prevalent.

According to the Campaign To End Loneliness, nine million British people are either always or often lonely, with the number of lonely people over the age of 50 set to reach two million by 2025.

“Not only would uniting people with pets potentially make them less lonely, but they could also provide comfort for people like the random cat did for me”, said Georgia. “Whether you’re a cat, dog, turtle or chameleon lover, everyone should be able to embrace the loving nature that animals want to give us!

“I now have a cat called Salem and I adore him so much. He’s helped me through some tough times.”

Pets and People Together is set to launch in early 2020. For more information, contact Georgia Mead on 07758569543.