Much-loved museum cat's fans pay for her surgery

One of the nine lives of a museum's much-loved cat has been saved thanks to members of the local community paying for her to undergo surgery.

Morgana, 12, could usually be spotted strolling around York's Murton Park and sunbathing in the site's recreated Viking village, but she recently needed treatment to remove growths on her neck and head.

The fee of about £500 to cover treatment for the feline, who was believed to be a stray, was raised by people in the area around the museum in under 24 hours.

Shelley Rogerson, livestock manager at Murton Park, said: "We were absolutely amazed by the response we got - she's so popular and loved among visitors and staff."

Morgana was believed to have taken up residence at the museum site "many years ago" and had never left.

After establishing she did not belong to anyone, staff at the time decided to get her spayed and microchipped, and they even built a custom-made house for her.

Around the site, Morgana was well-known as an unofficial tour guide, often adopting a family to "supervise" during their visit, Ms Rogerson said.

She had also proved to be popular amongst re-enactors, who often hired the Viking village in the summer months for meet-ups.

Ms Rogerson said staff had first noticed a lump on Morgana's neck a few years ago, but over recent months it had rapidly increased in size, causing concern among the team.

"We took her back to the vets and they said it's a cyst which, had it got any bigger, could have pressed on her nerves and veins," she explained.

To have the growth in her neck and above her eyebrow removed by a vet, staff at Murton Park were quoted a figure of between £500-£700.

As a registered charity, the team decided to turn to the generosity of the public to help fund the surgery.

Ms Rogerson said they were "blown away" by how quickly their fundraising target for Morgana was reached.

"We've had so many people asking about her and how she is. We have people coming from miles away just to see her," she explained.

Ms Rogerson said that post-surgery, Morgana was recuperating at her house for a week, before she could make a full return to the museum's grounds.

"When she came back from the vets - bearing in mind she is an outdoor cat - she has settled in no problem at all," she said.

"She loves sleeping on the bed. I take the cone off so she can eat her meals and have a good wash and everything, and then I pop it back on so she doesn't scratch."

Ms Rogerson said staff at Murton Park would be pleased to see Morgana back "in her domain" again next week when she had been given a clean bill of health.

"We all miss her. Just one more week and she'll be able to come back up here, no cone, and meet all her adoring public again," she added.

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