Georgie, the Royal Jubilee cat, gained a lot of fans showing up at the hospital to lap up attention from staff, patients and visitors alike. She even had her own Facebook page. But not everyone was happy with Georgie's visits, including Georgie's owners who worried for her safety crossing a busy road to get to the hospital.
Kate Sharratt, Site Director for Royal Jubilee, says Georgie's "services" will be missed, but her owners found her a new home in Vancouver where she can indulge in sharing her affection more safely:
"Her owner has found her a beautiful home on the mainland where she can run free, catch her own food. And it's actually a bed and breakfast, so she'll have her social interactions as well. "
Sharratt says while Georgie's unauthorized visits were a joy to many, there was concern for patients with allergies.
Tuesday hospital staff came together to say goodbye:
"Well, it was wonderful actually because it gave everybody a chance to come together as a community to say goodbye to Georgie, to thank Georgie's owner for sharing, and to share a few stories about the different things that Georgie did for them."
Georgie's owners posted on Facebook, that the decision was very difficult, but over the last 3 years it's become harder to balance Georgie's love of the hospital and her safety -- including the time she became locked in a room and wasn't found until the next day, the time she wound up behind a fridge and her metal tag became melted to a electrical socket, and the times she was picked up by animal control and put in kitty jail.
Georgie's Facebook site has been left up for people to reminisce (Georgie the Royal Jubilee Cat). Many staffers and visitors have also shared photos of Georgie interacting with patients, lounging on desks, and of course, checking out the cat scans.