CONGRATULATIONS to the “amazing” volunteers and organisers at the Oldham Cats charity for securing £44,000 of funding which will see it reopen before Christmas.

The charity was forced to close its doors in June when a deadly virus panleukiopenia outbreak swept through the feline residents, wiping out seven young cats.

Generous readers of The Oldham Times and friends on Facebook helped the charity raise more than £10,000 to help the centre, but it was nowhere near the £50,000 needed to rebuild the centre’s isolation area and renew kitten cages to veterinary standard.

Step forward Support Adoption For Pets. Officials from this charity visited the site in Saxon Street, Middleton after assistant manager Davina Hanes filled in an application form appealing for help.

This week, she was delighted to learn the charity was chipping in the full £44,000 needed to see the cat sanctuary reopen.

Support Adoption For Pets is a charity launched in 2006 which believes that every homeless animal deserves a second chance at happiness, and how right they are.

Oldham Cats will now be able to build an admissions room so that cats arriving at the centre are isolated and monitored prior to going through to the adult room.

Veterinary cages costing £25,000 can also be installed. Without Support Adoption For Pets, that would’ve been nowhere near possible.

Davina has saluted contributors to the sanctuary and the “amazing” volunteers who look after the cats and keep the centre going, and we agree with her.

Importantly, the kittens which managed to pull through the epidemic have all now been vaccinated.

Davina and her colleagues have also wisely taken on board the how vital it is that, from now on, all animals arriving at Oldham Cats are vaccinated.