YORK Cats Protection is thanking donors for helping make Christmas purr-fect for their residents.

Generous donors have so far helped raise £600 for the charity's festive campaign and they are still offering people the chance to sponsor a special personalised Christmas bauble on its new tree.

James Hodgkison, York Adoption Centre Manager, said: “We’ve overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity which will go a long way to supporting the centre and cats in our care.

“Through this campaign we wanted people to remember that the cat care here doesn’t stop at Christmas; in fact it’s at this time of year that we are most desperate for help. We are asking people to spare a thought for the cats, like Jingle and Belle, that don’t have loving homes this holiday season.”

People can also come along to the centre during their opening hours - 11am to 3pm, seven days a week, if they’d like to place the bauble on the tree themselves.

This comes at a time when more pets than ever are being given up due to the economic climate, which has put a massive strain on the centre.

Two very loving cats are also in desperate need of kind donations. Aptly named Jingle and Belle, the pair of happy go lucky sisters are eager to move on since being at the centre for some time.

The two sisters need special care as they suffer from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). This means that they have a compromised immune system and find it harder to fight off any infections they may contract.

To keep them safe from catching any bugs, and to prevent them from passing the disease on to other cats, they will need to be kept as indoor cats. They are young, happy and lively girls and will need plenty of stimulation and attention in their new home - but whatever love they get they will give back twice as much.

Sponsoring a bauble or just donating to the centre is simple and can be done online at www.justgiving.com/YorkCatsProtection or by texting to 70070 with the message: XXCP99 £5.

The bauble can be personalised in any way - or they could be a gift in memory of someone’s pet, so they can have their name of a loved one written on it.

There are also other ways you can provide vital support to cats in need:

• Donate some cat food or biscuits (unopened only please)

• Donate cash - for example, just £16 could enable us to care for one extra cat for around a week – providing them with food, veterinary care and a warm place to sleep.

• Donate cat litter - light weight non clumping cat litter, even things like kitchen rolls are really useful to the centre.

To find out more visit www.york.cats.org.uk or like us on Facebook at YorkCatsProtection.