Cat rescue goes months without single adoption

Joe Walmsley has fostered cats for three years which he said was "rewarding but difficult"

The moment a cat finds its forever home after months in foster care is the "ultimate win" for Next Steps Cat Rescue.

It looks after more than 100 sick, injured and stray cats in volunteers homes across Shropshire but has recently gone months without a single adoption.

About 30 cats a year are usually adopted via the group but the decline has meant it has less funds and space to care for new cats.

"More and more cats are needing help, people are surrendering their cats and we've got so few going out the door that it's a difficult situation to manage," rescue manager Joe Walmsley said.

Scarface the cat turned one last month and has spent his whole life in the rescue's care

Among the animals being looked after is Scarface. The cat had spent his whole life so far in care when he could be with his permanent family, the organisation said.

"We are all so passionate, we do this around our day jobs and everything we do is about rehabilitating [the cats] to get them into their forever home so it's very sad."

Next Steps Cat Rescue spends more than £9,000 on vet bills and cat care each month

In the past year, Next Steps Cat Rescue has seen more cats being dumped on the streets due to the rising cost of living and centres unable to accept more surrenders.

According to Cats Protection, 13% of people who used to own a cat no longer do due to cost concerns, and more than 300,000 households have considered giving up a cat for the same reason.

High costs are not only affecting cat owners - some rescue centres have said they are at risk of closure if they can't raise thousands of pounds to stay open.

Next Steps Cat Rescue said it spent more than £9,000 on vet bills and basic cat care every month, a price tag that was "constantly rising" as good quality food became more expensive.

The Cat Show Live aims to find homes for 100 cats by Christmas

To help rescues including Next Steps with adoptions, an event which celebrates the world of feline friends aims to find homes for 100 cats by Christmas.

The Cat Show Live, held at the NEC near Birmingham, will welcome thousands of cat lovers on Saturday, sharing stories of cats looking for homes in a bid to promote safe, ethical adoptions.

"It's really nice to see them shining a light on causes that we are working towards, it is just fantastic to see and we really appreciate being a part of it," Next Steps said of the event.

The group encouraged people to "adopt not shop" if they were looking for pets as shelters had so many cats in need of homes.

"By adopting from a rescue you know that the cat is health checked and doing well. You don't always know that if you're buying from less reputable breeders," it said.