Georgie the beloved hospital cat moves on to new pastures
Georgie is a tortoiseshell cat who gained a reputation for comforting patients and entertaining staff
She has over 2,000 followers on Facebook, but it is time to say goodbye.
Georgie is a four-year-old feline who has essentially been doing her rounds at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria every day.
Loved by both staff and patients, the tortoiseshell cat has even gained the moniker Georgie, the Royal Jubilee Cat.
- Comfort animals prompt university to rethink policy
- 'Nurse cat' lends a paw to veterinarians at Polish animal shelter
Lauren Quain is Georgie's owner and she says a year after the cat came to live with her, the feline started to venture across Victoria's busy Richmond Road to reach the hospital.
"I started getting more and more calls," Quain said.
"And then she came home one day with what looked like a hospital ID tag, with a little picture of herself on it."
Quain says she eventually had to put her own tag on Georgie, asking people not to feed her, because she was becoming weighed down.
After the hospital foundation put a picture of Georgie on Instagram, Quain said it was time to create a Facebook page. She says both patients and staff posted messages to her cat.
"Most people would speak to her directly," Quain said, "I would get lots of pictures of people with her.
"I would get messages, some really heartfelt, some were hard to read because people really took to her when they were having a hard time with a loved one in the hospital or they were in the hospital."
Skye Kervin says her boyfriend was a patient at the Jubilee who had been severely burned and was undergoing skin grafts.
It was an experience she describes as "very scary," but adds Georgie made it easier.
"She was the one thing we looked forward to each day," Kervin said.
"She became part of our routine, going out to find this sweet little furball who could lift your spirits with a single headbutt."
Kervin adds that she was saddened to hear that Georgie is moving on to new pastures.
Despite the positive feedback from both patients and staff, Quain made a decision to send Georgie to a new home in Mission.
She knows how to make the elevators work
Quain says there were increasing concerns about patients with allergies and also about Georgie's safety.
"It was getting harder and harder to keep her out. She knows how the elevators work and how the doors work — those sort of complaints."
Quain says Georgie is now living near a lake and has lots of room to roam.
However, there is no hospital or health clinic nearby, which Quain says is probably a good thing.
