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Shelter rehomes record number of cats this year

Meryl Marshall Meryl Marshall is wearing a purple coat and has short brown hair. She is holding a big tabby cat called Fred who has white paws, close to her body. Meryl Marshall
Meryl Marshall says 100 kittens and 100 adult cats have been adopted this year

A cat rescue charity said it had rehomed a record number of cats and kittens this year.

Venture Farm Cat Rescue in Mattishall, Norfolk said 100 kittens and 100 adult cats had been adopted, which was the highest number since the charity began in 1997.

The centre has between 100 to 150 cats in its care at any one time and, as well as rehoming the animals, it looks after older cats, others with medical issues and feral cats.

Meryl Marshall, the charity's trustee, said unusually the shelter was still caring for kittens despite "kitten season" commonly being over by the winter.

Meryl Marshall A group of cats sit on a bench built around a cherry tree. There's a black cat, ginger cat and a tabby sitting in the foreground. Meryl Marshall
This year the shelter opened an "oldies village" for senior cats which includes outdoor space and heated chalets where they can sleep

Ms Marshall added: "It's really strange this year how it seems to be completely out of season in that we're still having pregnant females in December, which is really unheard of.

"It's the first year I can remember pregnant cats being in this late.

"It's been a really, really tough for the quantities of kittens that we've had this year.

She said pet owners should make sure their cats were spayed so they would not contribute to the problem of unwanted kittens.

Meryl Marshall Three cats look suspiciously at the camera as they play on a cat stand. The cat stand is grey, and two of the cats are black and white and one is a tabby cat. Meryl Marshall
This year one of the charity's cats had eight kittens in a single pregnancy

Ms Marshall explained the charity's running costs have gone up this year, with the rising price of cat food, litter and vet care.

Yet she added that the cost-of-living crisis has had its benefits too, with more customers visiting the Venture Farm Cat Rescue charity shop in Dereham, Norfolk.

"People are being more cost conscious now and realising that they can buy good quality goods in charity shops.

"So we [found] that our income from the shop has increased," she said.

The charity also asked for a £100 donation from people who adopt cats and kittens, which goes towards covering some of the costs of spaying, worming and flea treatment.

Meryl Marshall A tortoiseshell cat and a ginger cat nap on some grassMeryl Marshall
Some of the elderly cats will be cared for at the sanctuary for the rest of their lives

The charity relied on volunteers and fundraising to keep running.

Ms Marshall said the sanctuary would go through "mountains" of cat food delivered by the pallet load.

She added: "People donate [cat food] and we have collection bins in Morrisons in Dereham and Norwich as well, which is a god send because that's food coming in."

Anyone thinking about adopting a cat should consider rehoming an animal rather than buying one from a breeder, Ms Marshall said.

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