By Lesley Walsh
A DUNDONALD pensioner has been left heartbroken after her two beloved cats were placed in a shelter after she suffered a stroke but never returned to her.
Eileen Coulter still cries over the loss of her pets which were removed by the local health trust due to her hospitalisation.
The Ballybeen resident, originally from Newtownards, went into hospital following her stroke in August 2024, and was able to return to her Rosneath Gardens apartment seven months later, in February 2025.
But back home now for 18 months, she remains in the dark about what happened to her beloved felines who she described as her ‘family’. There even remains a dispute about the number of cats that went missing, with the South Eastern Health Trust stating only one cat was removed.
Seventy three year-old Eileen insists however, that there were two cats – both of them house cats which never went outside – when she became unwell and was admitted to the nearby hospital.
The cats which have disappeared were a ginger pedigree cat called Marmaduke, which she said she paid £300 for, and a black and ginger tortoiseshell cat named Sunny Black.
To add to her misery, she said the Trust, who removed the cats for welfare reasons, mindful she would be absent for some time, are unable to describe the sole cat they said was taken away.
Eileen admitted a social worker did bring her to the shelter to collect her cat, but the animal proffered to her was not one of the missing cats.
She did however, bring another tabby cat home with her from the shelter.
The pensioner, who also has horses at a local stable she visits weekly, remains determined to get to the bottom of her cats’ whereabouts and said she would not rest until she gets answers.
Speaking to the Chronicle, Eileen, whose speech has been considerably impacted by the stroke, elaborated on the bewildering situation through a written transcript of events, taken for her by a close friend and used in a formal complaint to the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman.
“After being hospitalised, two cats were removed from my home, without my agreement or knowledge.
“At no point did I speak to or give permission for anyone to enter my property and remove my animals, nor had I known the whereabouts of my keys whilst in hospital.
“After suffering a severe stroke I was physically unable to offer any agreement and they have not provided any proof of this,” she said.
Eileen spoke of the profound consequences of losing her cats. “The actions have had a very strong impact on my mental health. The continuous battle and false information provided has been extremely upsetting and frustrating, leaving me feeling depressed and still with the constant worry of what has happened to my cats, as they are my family.”
