An incredible cat helped me gain the trust of a woman enslaved for 20 years

Sitting on the sofa, Marley reached out to Sheela as she was knitting. 

‘Hello sweetie pie,’ she said to Marley, a seven-year-old cat, whose paw was now on Sheela’s leg.

Looking on, I was astonished. This woman had been kept mute for over 20 years as a slave in London, and in three months of knowing her, these were the only words in English I’d ever heard Sheela speak.

Sheela is a guest at Caritas Bakhita House – a safe house for women who have been trafficked, enslaved or exploited.

As part of the support team at the organisation, I assist these women as they recover. We cover any medical needs, physiological and physical, and we help them to return home or seek asylum and find safe employment, if they are legally allowed to and wish to. 

For Sheela’s first few months with us, she’d been closed off, unreachable. Now Marley had reached her – conveying his compassion and care without the necessity of speech. 

Through that friendship, my colleagues and I found a way to interact with her too. Marley was the bridge we needed to gain Sheela’s trust – and all it took was one little paw.

It was the first time I’d seen Sheela’s eyes free of fear. 

I helped open Caritas Bakhita House in 2015, after a 31-year career with the Metropolitan Police. I’d been on the Trafficking Team, helping survivors of the most brutal crimes I’d ever investigated – people who had been trafficked, enslaved and exploited.

I’m passionate about female victims having a safe place to recover – a home that feels like a family, where they know they are safe.

Ever since its opening, Caritas Bakhita House has assisted 198 women – aged 15 to 70 – from 50 countries. We’ve been touched to welcome 16 babies who were born here, which has brought joy to us all.

These survivors have been deceived and then totally controlled by others; every daily decision made for them. I have been honoured to witness the bravery of the women as they take each step towards recovery and give evidence in court against their abusers.

Their testimonies have led to defendants being given custodial sentences totalling 205 years.

When they come to us, they have a lot of healing to do. So when a woman is presented with her first ever birthday cake or makes an independent trip to the supermarket, I feel like a proud parent. Every success, however small, is important.

I’ve been there when guests – never having attended school – write their names for the first time. And then there are those who have continued their studies, and graduated from university.

And Marley is a big part of every success story.

His original owners asked if we could offer him a home four years ago. He’d been adopted from a cat rescue centre, only to be bullied by the resident cat in his new home.

When Marley came to us, he was skinny, timid and non-vocal, hiding anywhere he could. But, after a few months, he began to find his paws and his voice. Now he chats to us all – staff, volunteers and especially the guests. 

Only once have I ever seen Marley react badly to someone – a workman in his 30s.

Marley’s back arched in fear, he hissed and ran away. I believe the young man reminded Marley of someone from his past who was cruel to him.

He is protective of his stomach, and I sense he’s been abused. Maybe that’s why he understands so instinctively the trauma of others.

Marley greets every guest when they arrive, but he takes care not to invade their space. He enters the room quietly to judge their reaction to him.

With those who are cautious he plays a long game, sitting a little closer every day until they reach out and touch him. When guests welcome him to their space, he rubs himself around their legs, gives head bumps and cuddles.

He sits by the side of women who are crying for as long as they need his solid, comforting presence. One guest was scared of Marley when she first arrived – a few months later she returned from hospital with her newborn baby and insisted Marley was the first of us to meet him.

Marley attends art class, drama therapy and yoga, he can do several of the poses. One woman wrote a song for him, which he listened to patiently about 100 times.

In lessons, our English teacher adapts stories around Marley and his involvement makes the guests eager to learn. Then every evening at 7pm, he joins us all for dinner around our big dining table laying on the mat.

I entered Marley in Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards 2024 because of the deep love and empathy he feels for our guests. If he could, he would roar like a lion to tell those who exploited them they are wrong.

Instead, by sharing his story of courage and compassion in this year’s National Cat Awards, he’s raising awareness of modern slavery and helping our guests in that way.

Recovery is not an easy journey for our guests, but having Marley by their side gives them the strength to go on. Marley shows us every day that love goes beyond borders and breaks down boundaries.

Sheela is still with us while she assists with the police investigation and continues her recovery. 

Marley is the first one she speaks to every morning and the one she chooses to say good night to every night. 

Any form of friendship, no matter where it comes from, is important when recovering from acts of brutality and coming from a place where you have only known control. 

To assist someone in recovery you first need to build a bridge of trust; without the bridge you can’t help. 

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]. 

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