Funds raised for Ely cat that 'saved' owner

Owner Annamarie Day said Tumba and her other cats saved her from taking her own life

Well-wishers have rallied to raise thousands of pounds to help a cat credited with saving its owner's life.

Annamarie Day, from Ely, Cambridgeshire said she was close to taking her own life in 2010, until her husband asked who would take care of kitten Tumba and her other cats if she did.

But when Tumba was badly injured this month and vet's bills mounted, she pleaded for help to save him, as the Cambridge News first reported.

About £4,000 has been raised so far.

One anonymous donor has donated £2,000.

Tumba disappeared on New Year's Day, returning six days later.

The cat's face was "mashed up" and he had badly infected eyes and broken top and bottom jaws, Mrs Day said.

Tumba turned up with serious injuries six days after going missing

Her vet does not know how the cat was injured, but his treatment is ongoing and so far he has lost the sight in one eye.

As the bills mounted, Mrs Day started a fundraising page to "save Tumba's life because he saved mine".

Mrs Day, who is still dealing with mental health issues, told the BBC: "When we reached £100, I could not believe how generous people were.

"But now we have £4,000 and one person donated £2,000. We have no idea who they are, and we thought it must be a typo, but it wasn't."

In the past day or so, Tumba has been able to eat, but faces two more operations.

The cat faces more operations

"The vet says he can make Tumba better, but it depends how well he deals with it all," said Mrs Day.

"Amazing is not a big enough word for how people have responded.

"Tumba is not just a cat, he saved my life, and thinking about my cats' welfare was a real wake-up call," she added.