A FURIOUS mum whose son is in the middle of a gruelling three-year leukaemia battle claims his health is being threatened by housing bosses’ refusal to let her carry out works at their home.

Neighbourhood cats are using a barked area outside Lisa Gallagher’s property in Pollok’s St Edmund’s Court as a makeshift litter tray, leaving her unable to open her front windows due to the foul stench of faeces and urine.

She says the problem also means Harris, eight, can’t go outside for fresh air due to his compromised immune system.

Lisa is willing to have the area slabbed to deter the felines but says management at Wheatley Homes have banned her from carrying out works to keep the look of the houses uniform.

Lisa Gallagher and her son HarrisLisa Gallagher and her son Harris (Image: Colin Mearns) The 35-year-old told the Glasgow Times: “Harris is in and out of hospital and has a weak immune system due to the amount of chemotherapy he is undergoing. He’s easily prone to infection and can’t get out to play with his friends.

“Now we are in a situation where we can’t open windows at the front because the smell from where the cats are toileting is putrid. It makes Harris feel sick, especially on days when he’s already struggling with the side effects of his treatment. He also has a specialist nurse who visits every few days with sterilised equipment to tend to his Hickman line and she’s also appalled at what’s going on.

“It got so bad that I went out to try and clean up the area myself, but I’ve been told by my son’s oncologist not to take that risk again because he’s so prone to infection and I could easily pass something on. I’m at my wits ends with it all, I just want it sorted out.”

Lisa, who is also mum to Lewis, 16, says that despite making several complaints to her housing officer and environmental health team, the problem persists.

She says she was given a cat deterrent box, which has proved unsuccessful in keeping the animals away.

(Image: Colin Mearns) She explained: “I’ve tried everything, from putting lavender oil to orange peelings down, but nothing works. After raising it with environmental health, the area was cleaned and the plants removed, but of course, the cats immediately started using the new bark that was put down as a fresh litter tray. It needs to be removed or they will just keep coming back.

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“I can’t even open my kitchen window without the smell coming in, and as soon as you open the front door it hits you. Even taking Harris in and out to the car makes him feel unwell. It’s also really embarrassing when people visit because it's become so overpowering. The only way forward is to slab the area at the front or place netting over it to stop the cats from using it, but I can’t get permission to do so.

“It’s just really frustrating and I’ve now raised the issue with my local MSP, who was shocked at what is going on.”

Harris was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2021 after he became unwell suddenly and was rushed to A&E.

It was the start of a continuing battle to save his life, and the youngster, who attends the Schiehallion ward at Glasgow’s Children’s Hospital, won’t complete his treatment until next May.

(Image: Colin Mearns) Lisa said: “Harris wasn’t himself and then I noticed some bruising. I assumed he’d fallen over at school or while out playing but I decided to get it checked out and took him to A&E at 7pm. By midnight he was fighting for his life and placed on intensive treatment.

“He’s been so brave and copes well with everything. At the moment he’s only well enough to attend school half of the time, so on days when he’s recovering at home, we can’t open the windows for fresh air because he’s so sensitive to the odour from the urine and waste.

“I don’t understand why Wheatley won’t be more reasonable given our circumstances. We don’t want to make the change for anything other than to protect Harris. We just can’t continue like this.”

A Wheatley Homes Glasgow spokesperson said they are working with the family to reach a solution.

They added: "We’re in regular contact with our tenant and are doing all we can to support the family.

"The tenant asked us to remove the small garden area at the front and we replaced it with bark. We’ve also carried out additional work on the back garden.

“In addition, we brought in a specialist contractor and also asked the council’s environmental health team for advice.

“We’ve been back in touch with environmental health to see if there is anything else they can do to help.”