In 2014, the team decided to take part in a sleep-out in the car park.

Six fundraisers aim to raise £1,000 for felines in their care

RSPCA staff hope to raise £1,000 for cats in their care by spending a night in a cattery.

The ‘sleepover with a difference’ takes place at the RSPCA’s Ashford Garden Cattery on the 16th December and will see six volunteers spend a night in the centre’s cat pods.

Cattery assistant and fundraiser organiser, Becky Drake said: “In 2014 five of us decided to take part in a sleep-out in the car park to raise awareness of the huge number of cats living on the streets of England and Wales (pictured).

“This year, we decided we wanted to publicise the work that charities, such as the RSPCA, are doing to help the abandoned and injured cats.”

The challenge beings at 6pm, when each of the volunteers will bed down for the night in one of the branch’s cat pods. Accompanied by the centre's furry residents, the staff will spend a total of 12 hours in their pods, finishing at 6am the following day.

“Although these pods are better for the cats than the cold, challenging and sometimes dangerous conditions they face on the streets, being in a cattery isn’t ideal and our main aim is to help these cats find new, loving homes,” Becky added.

“We have some really friendly cats who absolutely love having company so I think they’ll really enjoy it”

The team are hoping to raise more than £1,000 to help pay for the cats in their care including food, veterinary treatment and general care costs.

To pledge your support, visit RSPCA Ashford Garden Cattery on Facebook, or send a cheque made payable to Ashford Garden Cattery (with ‘sleep-in’ on the reverse) to 34 Station Road, Ashford TN23 1PH.

Image (C) RSPCA