Friends set up cat rescue centre in Telford in memory of kitten hit by pellet
Friends in Newport who were inspired by a cat they tried to save have set up a rescue centre in his memory.
Teacher Amy Turner and friend Kimberley Hughes set up Next Steps cat rescue in February.
It was set up in response to the increased cost of living and the extra stray pets that are around post-Covid who can no longer be looked after.
And they have named the first pens for the stray cats at the centre in Sutton Hill, Telford, after Finn, a six-month-old cat they came across shortly after setting up the centre.
A lady alerted them to the cat, who had been hit by a car and broke his legs and also had a pellet lodged in his spine, thought to have been fired from a weapon.
Sadly Finn had to be put to sleep but fundraising for the centre – and 'Finn's pens' – has been carried out in his memory.
They have already raised £1,000 to put the two pens up and hope to raise up to £5,000 when they can become an official charity.
Amy said: "Times are hard at the moment with the increase in the cost of living and some people are deciding they can't afford to look after their cats anymore, something has to give.
"We have also seen an increase in the number of stray cats on the streets so we decided to do something about it and we have a great network of volunteers helping us - Kimberley does a lot of the day-to-day running of the centre but everyone gets involved and people have been so generous with fundraising that we can house cats in the pens in such a short time.
"We hope to carry that on and build more pens and keep fundraising to achieve charitable status but I would just like to thank everyone who has helped us get this far."
For more details on Next Steps or to donate, visit facebook.com/nextstepsrescue.
