Your story about Margaret Backler and Paul and Tom Smith selling their cat Gizmo to a stranger in a shopping queue is sadly all too typical of the cruel and thoughtless attitudes of some people.

One can only hope the lady in question was compassionate enough to realise that anyone queuing all night and bringing a cat along was too irresponsible to be allowed to keep one.

Owning an animal is a privilege, not a right. Before acquiring a pet, people should ask themselves what they have to offer as a pet owner.

Can they afford the vet's bills if it is injured? Are they away from home for long periods? Is their home too near a main road? Have they got a garden?

The RSPCA animal shelter at Patcham is overcrowded with beautiful cats looking for homes, often because they were first acquired by people who thought it would be "fun" to own a cat.

-Frances Lindsay-Hills, chairman Mid Sussex and Brighton RSPCA