Appeal as seven ragdoll cats found within one mile

At least seven ragdoll cats have been found around Hensingham

The owner of seven ragdoll cats found within a mile (1.6km) of each other has been urged to come forward.

West Cumbria Cats Rehab said since the end of June, seven cats believed to be from the same household had been discovered around Hensingham, in Whitehaven, Cumbria, with another two having been spotted.

Jade Courty, from the charity, said ragdolls were "in real danger in the outside world" as they do not have the same "survival instincts" as other cat breeds.

Appealing to the owner, Ms Courty said there was "no judgement" and that she wanted to know how many more there were so they could all be rescued.

The first cat, now named Gary, was found outside on 26 June and had been shaved "quite severely", she said.

After a period of rehabilitation, Gary was successfully rehomed on 15 July after no owner came forward.

On the same day he left the rehab, a second ragdoll was found.

The cats were in a bad state when they were found, West Cumbria Cats Rehab said

"Even just finding one stray outside and with such a bad hairstyle is quite unusual really," Ms Courty said.

"So to get two in the same area, warning bells were starting to go off."

The following day, two more showed up and are now in the care of Ms Courty.

Meanwhile, a local family found another three cats but decided to keep them.

Ms Courty said she believed the cats all came from the same place because they were found in a "similar state" and all appeared to be aged between eight and 18 months old.

The cats were in a bad way when they were first found, but are all now on the mend and Ms Courty said there was a list "a mile long" of people wanting to adopt them.

"Don't leave these cats outside because they're a breed that aren't really good at being cats, they don't have the same survival instincts," Ms Courty said.

"They're in real danger in the outside world, really."

On the origin of the cats, Ms Courty said she has heard rumours but nothing concrete.

"We could speculate all day, but there's no point," she said.

"There's no judgement, it's done, it's fine. I'd just like to know how many cats there are so we know how many we're looking for to try and help.

"Lord knows how many are out there."