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Stars come out for cats in need
The donated t-shirts will be used to create cat beds for Cats Protection adoption centres.

Holly Willoughby and Deborah Meaden are among the celebrities supporting Cats Protection's 'feels like home' campaign.

With more owners than ever no longer able to afford to care for their cats, celebrities from across television, comedy and music have come together to support homeless felines.

Leading cat charity Cats Protection recently issued an urgent appeal for volunteer fosterers after research highlighted the impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on cat owners.

The charity says that it has already seen its waiting list grow by 20 per cent compared to this time last year, and the problem is only expected to get worse. 

With more cats spending time in the charity's care, Cats Protection has launched a 'feels like home' appeal to encourage members of the public to become fosterers or make a small donation towards food, blankets and care. 

To help raise awareness, cat-loving stars including Holly Willoughby, Deborah Meaden, Jo Brand and Bob Mortimer have donated t-shirts and tops to illustrate how simple it is to create a warm and cosy space for cats.

Comedian Jo Brand donated the red ‘Jo’ t-shirt she wore as one of the Cheeky Girls to support Comic Relief in 2002, while Great British Bake Off star Kim-Joy contributed her oversized food-themed tees she uses to cover her clothes in the kitchen. 

The charity will use the garments to create DIY cat beds for Cats Protection adoption centres across the UK. Followers of the charity's socail media channels will also get the chance to win a celebrity t-shirt for their own cat bed DIY endeavours.

Entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden said: “I love to recycle and find new uses for items, so to know it’s easy to make our cats cosy using things we already have is great.” 

TV presenter Holly Willoughby who donated a boho top added: “We all know cats need a cosy hiding spot, so I love how easy it is to make one for them out of items we all have at home.”

For more information about Cats Protection's winter campaign, visit cats.org.uk/feels-like-home

Image (C) Cats Protection.

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.