A CAT rescue shop has been attacked by vandals, at a time when the organisation is crying out for help.

The shop, on Victoria Road, Eccleshill, is closed due to the coronavirus lockdown. Although vandals didn’t break into the premises, volunteers discovered signs and a banner pulled off and left on the roadside.

The shop is run by Allerton Cat Rescue which is facing a crisis of dwindling donations and volunteers being unable to rescue stray, injured and abandoned cats. “These mindless idiots have caused us stress at a time when we’re already struggling. Whoever did this should not have even been out on the streets during this lockdown,” said cat rescue spokesman Helen Sharp. “There is a terrible problem with stray cats and kittens in Bradford, and at this time of year we get a lot of messages about pregnant strays. We have lots of cats and kittens in foster care right now.

“So many people don’t get their cats neutered, and both cats and kittens often end up on the streets. Cats can get pregnant at five-months-old and have three litters a year. Last year we had to close just to take in pregnant cats. We went round hotspots in Bradford picking them up - one day we rescued 16 cats from a house.

“The coronavirus crisis is having an impact on animals too. At the moment, because of lockdown, we’re not getting the donations we need and we can’t go round the streets picking up cats like we did. We’re only a small team of volunteers.”

The organisation relies on bulk orders of catfood but volunteers are finding supermarket shelves empty. “Morrisons in Girlington is very good at supplying us, and we normally order in bulk from stores and online, but it’s harder to get hold of supplies,” said Helen. “We can’t rely on catfood donations now so we need people to donate funds through our website, allertoncatrescue.co.uk. If anyone can help with catfood, please get in touch via our Facebook page @allertoncastrescue.”

Allerton Cat Rescue was set up over 40 years ago by Brenda Satterley. Monthly running costs are around £600 for food and litter and £7,000 for vet bills. Last year the organisation rescued 925 cats and kittens - a 27per cent rise from 2018.

“People like to have kittens but they get handed to children as playthings and end up on the streets,” said Helen. “We’ve taken kittens off children at traffic lights.”

Yorkshire Cat Rescue, based at Cross Roads near Keighley, faces an uncertain future, thanks to the coronavirus crisis. Fundraiser Nic Willis said the charity is facing “severe financial hardship” after cancelling fundraising events and collections, and closing its shops. She said: “With COVID-19 upon us, we’re facing a huge loss of income and are extremely concerned for our future. We’re deeply worried about how it will affect the cats that rely on us, and the people that come to us needing help. We know times are difficult for everyone right now, but we need help more than ever before. Every donation, even £1, will make a difference.

“The wonderful thing about animals, and cats in particular, is their ability to provide us with joy and unconditional love - something that is even more valuable in times like these.”

The charity is holding an online fundraising quiz and planning online raffles and auctions.

Visit yorkshirecatrescue.org or facebook page @yorkshirecatrescue