Barking hotel staff praised for taking care of 'abandoned' cat

The black-and-white cat was caught wondering around ibis Barking's carpark by the hotel's CCTV cameras.

When it was seen trying to eat out of the bins, kind staff members began leaving out milk, cat food and biscuits each day.

Hotel manager Sony Pandian told the Post: "We saw that she was hungry, so we wanted to try and give her something to eat.

"But she was very nervous and would eat and then run away.

"We bought a store of biscuits for her and my colleague, who has her own cat, would bring some food in."

The black cat was a regular visitor at ibis Barking on Highbridge Road (Image: Katie Moore)

Sony said the animal had been roaming around for at least a month, and would frequently visit the hotel's smoking area.

"She enjoyed sitting on the bench with the smoking guests, I don't know why," she added.

"I'm sure she was abandoned, or else she wouldn't have come back every day and seemed so nervous."

Katie Moore, who volunteers with animal finders Scruffy's Angels, agrees the kitty was probably left near the Barking hotel.

Katie said: "To get to the ibis, she would have had to cross the A406 or a river - neither of which are likely.

"It seems that someone either dumped her there or maybe she travelled in a delivery van."

The animal rescue team went to collect the cat after being alerted to the situation last Friday (February 11).

Sybil is now being fostered by Scruffy's Angels volunteer Christine Fenwick (Image: Katie Moore)

"We're so pleased the staff took such good care of her," Katie said.

"I think they would have told us earlier but she kept disappearing."

Unfortunately, the Scruffy's Angels volunteers have been unable to find the cat's owner and she is not microchipped.

Volunteer Christine Fenwick, known as Queenie, has been fostering her since she was collected.

The rescue team named the cat Sybil after a vet confirmed she is a female.