Nellie has got a sore throat, Bruce has an eye problem and keeps bumping into things, and Whiskey is coming round from an operation to stop him chasing the girls. Nellie is a 10 1/2-foot python, Bruce is a tortoise and Whiskey was a tom cat. Today they're all in the consulting rooms at the Blue Cross Hospital for Sick Animals which has been operating for 50 years just behind Victoria Station. It's for pet owners who can't afford vets, and all animal - and human - life is here. Yum-Yum, Mimi and Lai-Lai - Pekinese - are here for a check-up. "They're my children," explains their mistress, "I've got something to care for." There are happy endings - and sad incidents. Grace, a kitten who had to have a leg removed, is re-united with her owner, but an alsatian going blind has to be put to sleep. "Most people need assurance about it because they think they are killing their animal," says vet Janet Clift. "But if it's in the best interest of the animals, it has to be done." It costs £1 million a year to run Victoria. Money well spent? "Of course," says administrator Paul Hannon. "We not only help animals, we help owners, because for many people a pet is the most important thing in their life."