Cat rescue centre with £7k vet bill could shut down

A cat rescue centre which has racked-up thousands of pounds of vet bills could be at risk of closure after its owner admitted it was "struggling" to stay afloat.

Penelope White is one of the founders of the Friends of Felines animal charity, which cares for cats from across Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire.

The shelter, based near Halstead, is often home to as many as 50 cats at any one time but will now be "ignoring the phone" for a "good couple of months".

Ms White says the charity's bills "trebled" over Christmas due to the number of elderly cats it took in, as well as those suffering from a viral disease.

"We've always done our very best to make sure the cats get the very best treatment and don't want for anything but that is expensive," she added.

"But Christmas was the perfect storm, and it has just really caught us out and we have been a little bit too complacent – now we are paying the price.

"We've always been a charity that has prided itself on being able to help no matter what, but we've definitely got to pull our horns in for the time being."

The rescue centre's outgoings range from between £4,000 to £6,000 each month, with the money often going out "just as quickly" as it goes in.

Up until now, however, it has been able to keep its "head above water", but the charity now finds itself with seemingly endless vet bills totalling more than £7,000.

"The vets are very good to us, and they give us no end of support and it is not fair that they should be in debt because of the debts we have incurred," said Ms White.

"So, the first thing we must do is pay them, but then that just puts us back to square one – it's devastating and really sad.

"We're now stuck between having to not help people, which is what we are there for, or continuing but racking up debt, so we have to radically re-think what we do."

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