Coronavirus crisis: "We need help urgently" says disabled cat sanctuary in Preston

Run by Celia and her husband Tim Dean, Auntie Celia's Cat Sanctuary in Ingol is a forever home for disabled and special needs cats. A purely-charitable operation, the sanctuary runs entirely on donations and on money raised via their second-hand stall at Preston Market which is, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, no longer operating. And they're appealing for help.

Celia's passion for caring for our feline friends was sparked around 15 years ago when a poorly tabby cat who had escaped an abusive owner wandered into their garden. Flea-riddled and close to death, the cat was put on a drip and eventually recovered. They named her Mimi and, while it took the couple nine months to earn her trust, she eventually moved into their home and lived there for 13 years until she died at the ripe old age of 19.

"I love them so much I couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life," says Celia, 66, a former nurse on the gynaecology ward at Royal Preston Hospital. "When I met Tim, he had a big cat called Tinky and I fell in love. I couldn't believe what you get back; people think you've got a cat and you just feed it and put it out, but the love they give you...

"I find it more rewarding than having a dog," adds Celia, who currently has four two-week-old kittens whom she feeds every two hours, 24/7. "You can read what they're trying to tell you in their eyes; people should give cats a chance because they'd be amazed."

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sanctuary's stall on Preston Market - their main source of revenue - has been cut off. In desperate need for financial support to cover their £600 monthly costs of cat food and litter, the sanctuary is also in urgent need of help safely disposing two to three wheelie bins of bagged, wood-based cat litter per week and are appealing to local waste disposal companies for any assistance they can provide in this time of crisis.

"I'd say we have enough funds to cover the next five or six weeks, but everyone's coming to the realisation that we could be on this lockdown for several months, so we're desperately asking anybody who can donate," says Tim, 59. "We realise people are facing their own problems, but we'd massively appreciate any help to help keep the sanctuary going long-term.

"If you can, please donate, and if there's anybody out there who could help us dispose of this used cat litter, we'd be so grateful," adds Tim, from Preston. "We need help urgently."

"All our cats trust me 110% and it's so loving," continues Celia, from Barrow-in-Furness. "I know them all individually and because I'm home all the time, they all want to sit with me and cuddle. Usually, when cats come here, they've lost a lot of trust, but when they've been here a while, it's amazing to see the difference.

"To see how we bring them on, especially the really badly disabled cats, is brilliant," she adds. "When they start to come to you and put their trust in you, it's just absolutely amazing. It's unbelievable how they adapt once they know they're safe. That's when their personality comes out.

"You can't describe what it's like to have a disabled cat who is scared and nervous and you earn their trust..." says Celia. "I'm welling up just thinking about it."

Auntie Celia's Cat Sanctuary does not re-home cats or take in strays due to limited space. While they are not asking for donations of cat food - the cats are on a strict diet and new foods could make them ill - Celia and Tim are appealing for donations which can be made by cheque to Aunty Celia's Cat Sanctuary or via PayPal to [email protected] (caps and hyphens included).