Search for homes for eight unwanted '˜outdoor' cats

Experts say that the cats – who are either nervous around people, or just unsuited to a normal household life – all need homes where they are free to explore the great outdoors.

They are currently being cared for by staff at Cats Protection’s National Cat Adoption Centre in Chelwood Gate.

Staff say that homes at farms, smallholdings, garden centres, or even an outbuilding or secure shed in a large garden, would all be suitable for the cats.

They say that, in return for their outdoor home, the cats – named Tiddles, Minnie, Jack, Flump, Sam, Mabel, Magpie and Bertie – can help to keep rodents and other pests under control.

Adoption centre care assistant Cathy Hill said: “It isn’t just feral cats who are looking for outdoor homes, many domestic cats benefit from this type of home environment too.

“Some of the cats we have in at the moment are a little nervous of people, for various reasons. But these cats can really blossom in an outdoor environment where they can do exactly what they want, when they want, maybe with the option to come inside if they choose to. Others have chosen to spend their time outside given the choice, so would prefer to do so again.

“For all these cats, an outdoor home is their idea of bliss – be in a large garden, a farm, stable yard, or the grounds of a business like a garden centre, pub or hotel.

“Adopting an outdoor cat is a great way to enjoy the satisfaction of giving a cat a second chance in life, while enjoying the many benefits they bring – from their pest control abilities to the entertainment their daily antics bring. Here at the National Cat Adoption Centre we have successfully rehomed a number of cats to these environments where they flourish and thrive.”

The cats – who range in age from one to 11-years-old – are among 150 cats currently being cared for at the centre.

Contact the centre by emailing [email protected]