THE Cornwall RSPCA centre in St Columb is calling on people to give a cat a loving forever home.

RSPCA Cornwall at The Venton Centre is inviting people to attend its cattery to “make friends with a prospective new friend of the family.”

A spokesperson said: “Cats and kittens come to RSPCA Cornwall for many reasons.

“Some are abandoned as the cost of feeding, insurance and vets bills have become too much for some unfortunate people to bear, others because the owner has passed on or had to relocate to accommodation where pets are not accepted but many are abused or kept in horrendous circumstances, left to breed uncontrolled and then left with a litter of kittens for someone, hopefully, to find and look after.

“It is a hard heart that cannot feel sympathy for these feline families left to starve without any hope of survival and anger can be justified against those that allow this to happen when food and shelter is available from a number of well run and caring animal shelters throughout the county.

“All these waifs and strays are accepted, none are rejected and all are cared for in clean and comfortable conditions, neutered where necessary and any medical and other veterinary care administered until they are ready to find a forever home, some may even be suitable for rehoming to farms and smallholdings where the cat can run free, assured of food and comfortable accommodation whilst keeping vermin down, a win-win situation for both.

“They come in all colours, shapes and sizes from week old kittens to seniors in their twilight years, some need access to fresh air and sunshine, others just a quiet corner and bed to sleep in or your lap to curl up on and keep you warm whilst they purr away the hours in front of the telly.

“To this end we are inviting would be re-homers or fosterers to come along to the centre, meet a staff member and visit the cattery with a view to making friends with a prospective new friend of the family.

“Late morning is best in order for the staff to carry out their routine feeding, cleaning and medication duties and then people can take away the necessary documentation applicable to the cat or cats that they have chosen to make a forever home

“These open weekends will continue throughout the year so please keep an eye on the “cats and kittens for rehoming” page on the RSPCA Cornwall website and we look forward to meeting people at The Venton Centre soon.”