Maximus appeal: Street cat gets 'hundreds' of home offers

Maximus, thought to be 12, has had "hundreds" of offers of a permanent home from well-wishers

A street cat turned global feline celebrity has received "hundreds of offers" of permanent homes.

Critically ill Maximus made headlines worldwide after he was picked up by the Stray Cat Rescue Team West Midlands (SCRT) in Great Barr, Sandwell.

The voluntary group has now had £10,000 donated for his care and thousands of gifts of treats and toys.

Maximus is "like a different cat," said SCRT founder Lucy Strickland, who has been looking after him.

She said Maximus, who was taken in by SCRT on 28 November, was incredible and has nicknamed him Mr Nosey, because of his inquisitive nature.

Maximus, who was critically ill when found last month, has "massively" defied expectations, say volunteers

Maximus was rushed to specialist small animal hospital, Langford Vets in Bristol, last week, with carers fearing the worst.

"I was in tears, the vet was in tears. We thought that was his last day," said Ms Strickland, from Wolverhampton, who founded SCRT earlier this year.

But Mr Nosey defied expectations, with scans picking up nothing more serious than a treatable low grade lymphoma or IBS.

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Still on a cocktail of antibiotics and steroids and spending entire days at the White Cross vets in Wolverhampton, Maximus is nonetheless responding to treatment.

"As a rescue we're completely shocked by how he's turned around," said Ms Strickland.

"He was so poorly and he's always been very grateful. He now looks for humans, looks for interaction with them. It's amazing to see how his trust changed."

Ms Strickland says her house has been taken over by boxes of gifts for Maximus

"Thousands" has been spent on the moggy's care but any remaining donations will be spent on other animals the SCRT is fostering, says its founder.

And although Maximus will not be stable enough to be moved for another "month or two", a permanent home may have been identified for him with a previous adopter.

Ms Strickland admits the global attention has been "insane."

"If it's done anything it's raised awareness for other strays," she said.