Cecil the Devizes cat saved by a whisker When Cecil the cat was discovered in February, he was close to death. He had been a stray for a long time and had suffered in the winter freeze. His fur was matted and he was on the point of starvation. Cecil was found in Devizes and taken to Macqueen Veterinary Centre at Hopton Park, Devizes. From there, he was passed on to the Chippenham-based charity, Cat Rescue. One of its volunteers, Julie Morris, is now looking after Cecil at her home in Sells Green. She said: “I was quite horrified. He had not been fed and people had locked their cat flaps to stop him coming in, so he was quite literally starving.” Subsequently he had to have all of his teeth removed except one. His throat was also scarred and sore from the things he had been trying to eat while scavenging. However, since he was taken in by Cat Rescue, Cecil, who is believed to be aged anywhere between nine and 15, is improving rapidly. Mrs Morris said “Healthwise he’s coming on leaps and bounds. He’s got a belly on him. He’s a proper little rascal and he’s really relishing food.” Cat Rescue was set up in 1972 by animal lover Jean Gilbert, of Sadlers Mead, Chippenham. However, in all those years they have never been as inundated with cats as they are now. They are currently looking after 35 cats with an ever-extending waiting list. Mrs Morris said: “We do our best, but sometimes it’s just not enough. We haven’t got the space, they sleep in my bedroom when it’s needed. We urgently need good homes for cats including older cats and timid cats.” Cats are often just dumped by their owners as they can no longer afford to keep them due to insurance and expensive vet bills. If you can offer a cat a home ring (01249) 653443