A YORK shop has raised £2,000 in four days for cats caught up in the conflict in Ukraine.

Peter and Alison Hanson, who run the Cat Gallery in Low Petergate, said they had vowed to 'help make a difference to cats caught up in the Ukraine crisis' after being shocked by pictures and reports.

Peter said: “There are a variety of national agencies looking to support the amazingly courageous Ukraine population. As a business focused exclusively on cats, we really want to help innocent cats caught up in this humanitarian catastrophe.

“We have worked quickly to set up a donation collection mechanism in our shop and on our website.

"We told customers what we were doing in our email newsletter on Friday March 4. Within 4 days, over £2,000 has been donated and the total is rising steadily. This total is before we make our own personal donation.

“Our customers have a strong desire to help, but it is hard to know how and where to send funds and know that they will provide the most effective support.

"Fortunately, one of the charities that we have supported for the last few years, International Cat Care, have links with the key cat animal organisations in Eastern Europe and will help us to target donations to make a real difference to the lives of cats affected by the war."

He said people could visit The Cat Gallery and make a donation in person at the counter,with cash or card accepted, or visit www.thecatgallery.co.uk and add search for product code 999UKRAINE.

He said he and Alison had no links to Ukraine, just a desire to leverage their business to help cats in need.