An animal charity in Watford said it can better support stressed cats after it received a grant of more than £3,000.
The National Animal Welfare Trust was awarded £3,517 as part of the Cash for Charity campaign run last year by the Watford Observer's parent company’s charitable arm The Gannett Foundation.
The charity's manager, Jackie de Friez, said the money has helped to rebuild a cattery that was old and badly damaged and no longer being used.
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She said: “We applied for the grant to do the roof and to revamp it all.
“We have a new roof, new doors and put on new panels.
“It’s made such a difference. It means that now we can have an area we can use.
“When you get a cat or a family of two or three cats who are stressed and not coping, now they can go in an area where they are safe.
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“We can give the cats better quality care.
“The money used for the new roof has made a big difference.”
Before the grant of £3,517.38 was gifted to the charity, it was struggling to look after families of cats and in the past, they have been separated due to lack of space.
Ms Friez said: “You get a pair of cats come in and they could be living in a big house, they have lost their owner and their home and then suddenly go into a small kennel.
“Previously we had a family of four cats come in and we didn’t have the pens to keep them together.
“If we had, we might have been able to home them as a four. Unfortunately, we had to split them us as pairs.
“Now, in this new environment we can keep pairs together. It also means that cats are happier.
“We can give better care and make a massive difference to what we are doing. It really benefits the cats.”
For any charities in need of extra funds, Ms Friez encourages others to apply for the grant.
She said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to benefit your charity and it’s so easy to apply.”
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