Genie, an 8-year-old black and white cat from Lincoln in the United Kingdom, is a one-of-a-kind creature. Genie was there for her little human, 11-year-old Evie Henderson, when she was diagnosed with bone cancer for the first time.
The compassionate feline, who was adopted from a shelter by Evie’s family several years ago, was given the prestigious title of ‘Cat of the Year’ by Cats Protection, a British cat rescue charity, in a ceremony in London, for the love and companionship she gave Evie while she was going through chemotherapy.
Evie is incredibly proud of her cat, telling The Telegraph about how Genie has helped her cope with her condition on numerous occasions:
“I believe she’s fantastic.” She is deserving of it. She has always been supportive of me. She’d wrap the plaster around my leg and take a seat at my feet. She’d come up on the sofa and go pitter-patter on my knee after smelling my plaster. She’d come round to me when I was too ill to have friends around or go outdoors and was stuck in the house, which made me a lot happy and offered me wonderful comfort.”
Evie’s life was often challenging when she was undergoing chemotherapy for more than a year, such as when she began to lose her hair. Fortunately, Genie was by her side, ready to console her:
“It was quite upsetting for me to lose my hair because I had long dark hair. Genie was molting at the same time as I was, so it felt like I was losing my hair and Genie was losing hers as well, which helped to relieve the trauma of it all.”
Chris, Evie’s father, speaks Genie’s praises as well, telling Lincolnshire Live how much the small kitty has benefited their daughter:
“Genie has been wonderful for Evie and has helped to keep her spirits up. Now that Evie is feeling better, she is spending more time at home and is thrilled to be able to spend more time with Genie. We believe Genie is truly one of a kind.”
Good job Genie!
