A RESCUE centre has been overwhelmed with cats left homeless by the deaths of their elderly owners.

With the winter freeze hitting the elderly and vulnerable, forcing them into care homes and sadly claiming lives, a number of cats have been left in the care of the RSPCA Durham branch.

Now leaders of the group, which is run entirely by volunteers, are appealing for people to adopt or foster these cats and give them a good home for Christmas.

RSPCA volunteer Laurie Whittle said: “We’ve had a lot of cats whose owners have died or gone into homes. It always seems to happen at this time of year.

“Everyone knows we get a lot of kittens after Christmas that were unwanted presents but really the problems start before Christmas.”

The cats are being kept at Deerness Kennels, Langley Moor, County Durham.

But Ms Whittle said: “It’s not where we want them to spend Christmas. We want them to have a good home.”

Among the cats available for adoption are Millie, a seven-year-old female tabby whose owner went into sheltered accommodation; Bella, a two-year-old black cat whose owner died; and Bessie, a young cat whose owner was no longer able to look after her.

In addition, there is Bramble, who was found discarded in a bush, and was microchipped but the electronic details were out of date so the owner could not be traced.

At various times over the last few weeks, there have been around 30 cats in the kennels. Several were successfully re-homed at the weekend, taking the number down to ten to 15.

The animals are available for adoption or fostering. Homes with other cats or dogs would be considered, along with owners looking for indoor or outdoor pets.

With fostering, all the costs incurred are covered by the RSPCA, including food, litter and any vets’ bills.

Details of all the cats needing a new home can be found online at catchat.org

For further details, call Laurie Whittle on 01388-730-248.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of winter deaths in England and Wales rose by 30,000, or 29 per cent, last year.