Brighton cats saved from death row (From The Argus)

Brighton cats saved from death row

3:10pm Monday 20th August 2012 in News By Bill Gardner

Unwanted cats have been saved from death row – thanks to the generosity of Argus readers.

Last Wednesday The Argus backed an appeal to help save the poor pets by finding them new homes.

We revealed managers across Sussex were facing having to make the heart-breaking decision to put down unwanted cats because animal shelters were so overrun.

But after the piece was published, the Lost Cats shelter in Brighton was deluged with people wanting to give the abandoned animals new homes.

Every cat featured in last week’s piece was saved from death and given a loving new home over the weekend.

Ron Ayers, the manager of the Lost Cats shelter, said the response from readers had been “fantastic”.

He said: “We couldn’t believe how many people turned up.

“A lot of people said they wanted the ones that were in the paper so they went very quickly. We rehomed 20 cats in all – it was incredible.”

But Mr Ayers said the problem of unwanted cats in Sussex was getting worse every day.

Four more were handed in to his shelter over the weekend.

He said: “It’s getting really bad. More and more cats are turning up every day and we can’t afford to keep them all.

“These cats are frightened and very scared and they have all been dumped or abandoned.”

One of the cats handed in on Saturday had a matted tangle of fur after living wild for so long. Mr Ayers said: “It’s like a shell on his back. It’s just terrible. 

He added: "We desperately need help and would urge anyone thinking of getting a cat to come to us.”

To donate money or adopt from Lost Cats Brighton call 01273 422721 or 07990 812669.