Force fur good

Achronically-ill pet rescuer who has helped rehome hundreds of cats and kittens has scooped a prestigious award. Abbie Carter picked up the Furever Friends trophy at BBC Radio Stoke’s Make a Difference Awards, where her work as a serial Cats Protection fosterer was recognised.

The 22-year-old, who suffers from ME, has six cats of her own. But it was while she was recovering from an operation to remove a cancerous lump in 2017 that she decided to set up her own feline charity, Abbie’s Cat Rescue.

“The moment I got the all-clear, I decided I had to do something positive with my life,” she said.

“My parents were a bit cautious, but soon they saw how much energy this new project gave me. It was a reason to live.”

Abbie built a special pen in her back garden for the cats and set up a social media page.

And within days, she started getting enquiries from prospective new owners and people who wanted to find their cats a new home.

“It kind of went crazy,” she said. “The sheer volume of messages I was getting, combined with all the fundraising, was slightly overwhelming. But by chance I got speaking to Cats Protection, explaining that I just didn’t have the room for any more cats, and they suggested fostering.”

One of the first cats Abbie took in was heavily pregnant and she had to bottlefeed the kittens for 12 weeks before matching them with local families.

“It’s very hard not to form bonds, but to know they’re going to a good home means everything to me,” she said.

“Sometimes I bump into their new owners on the street who rush up to me to show me their photos and say how grateful they are.”

Abbie, from Stoke-on-Trent, was diagnosed with ME at the age of 14 after she started feeling inexplicably tired.

But in early 2017, she discovered a lump behind her ear and scans showed it was an acinic cell carcinoma.

After it was safely removed, Abbie was given the all-clear and was inspired to set up her cat charity.

“I felt like I needed to do something other than waiting to be well enough to work,” she said. “I can’t see any reason why I’ll stop but would love to train to be a vet or veterinary nurse

– as long as I can specialise in cats!”