Colony of 40 feral cats found by charity

An animal charity has spent almost £3,600 safely trapping and neutering a 40-strong colony of feral cats found close to a village.

Cats Protection said residents raised the alarm about the welfare of a growing clowder of feral cats near Loddon in Norfolk in July.

The charity said colonies of stray and abandoned cats were becoming more common, however, this was the largest group the Norwich branch had ever experienced.

Anna Page, community fundraising officer at Cats Protection, said: "This is the biggest colony of cats our team has been called on to support. The condition of some of the cats was a concern and we needed to act fast to get treatment and help improve their welfare."

The charity said the work was "vital" in preventing unwanted litters, reducing suffering and improving the welfare of feral cats.

Hayley Heley, regional community operations manager for the East of England Cats Protection, said tending to colonies could take a lot of work of volunteers and caused huge financial costs.

She said: "We provide the largest neutering assistance of any charity for any species but that does cost an awful lot of money. So a colony such as between 30 and 40 cats, can cost in excess of £2,000."

However, one kitten, named Atlas, was found to have a condition called entropion, causing the eyelids and lashes to turn in and rub against the eye. It has had both eyes remove as a result.

The charity is appealing for donations to recover the costs spent on the colony.

Heley said the charity would continue to engage with the colony.

She said: "We will continue to support with members of the public and to help not only to ensure that the rest of the colony stays neutered so that we can't have any more kittens on that site but also to make sure that the colony is kept in good health as well by providing food and check-ins and making sure that the cats remain healthy."

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