Young cat lover inspired to help Milton Keynes charity after death of beloved family pet

Alex Vrondis, 12, set about raising awareness of urinary problems in male cats after his cat Felix had to be put to sleep owing to complications from a blocked urethra.

He raised £53 which was donated to Cats Protection’s Milton Keynes branch. He explained: “I lost my loving cat Felix in February 2020. Felix was a cat who went to the toilet outside but one day he had an accident in the house and when my mum was cleaning it up she saw blood and we took him to the vets. We hoped they could help him but by the time we noticed it was too late.”

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is the name given to a collection of common conditions that affect the bladder and/or urethra. Males like Felix have a greater risk of complete urinary tract blockage.

Alex’s mum, Julie Smith, added: “The vets tried for a few weeks to unblock Felix by leaving a catheter in but it was soon clear the blockage was too severe so we allowed them to operate but the urethra was so damaged there was nothing they could do. It was a heart-breaking decision to let him go but he was in pain and it wasn't fair to leave him like that.”

After learning that earlier intervention might have made a difference to Felix’s chance of recovery, Alex was determined to raise awareness – raising funds and creating a poster which he distributed to his local RSPCA and vet surgeries.

Alex added: “My family and friends were very generous but lockdown came and I couldn’t give the money to Cats Protection. We forgot about it until I met a nice lady called Sarah who volunteers there. We gave her the money and afterwards I got to meet April who fosters cats. I love cats and now I want to foster cats when I grow up.”

Branch committee member, Belle O’Connor, said: “We were so impressed by Alex’s hard work to ensure other cat owners know about the risks of a blocked

To find out more about the branch visit www.cats.org.uk/milton-keynes or call 01908 984 799.