A family-run animal shelter that has been going since the 1980s is full to the brim with pregnant cats who are still kittens themselves.
Laura Wootton runs Ark Animal Rescue in North Somercotes and is helped by her nine-year-old daughter Belle Wootton. Together, they are the third and fourth generation of the same family to run the shelter that was set up by Belle's great-grandmother, the late Pauline Rice.
Belle "can't wait" to run five kilometres through a giant inflatable obstacle course on July 13. "She is very proud and excited to be part of something much bigger," said Laura.
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So far, they have raised around £750. The money will go towards poorly stray cats who have given birth, many of them when they were too young. Laura said: "At the minute we've got lots of mummy cats that have had kittens who are due to be spayed.
"We always say yes to mummy cats and pregnant cats or kittens at any time we can help because there aren't any other spaces for them. It's usually a matter of life and death. The mummy cats come in and they are still babies themselves."
Laura said one unneutered cat had birthed three litters of kittens before she was even two years old before finally finding sanctuary in the Ark. Too young to have kittens, she lost every single one in the previous litter but this time there are some survivors.
"The kittens will go to new homes this week and she'll go for neutering and will never have to have babies again," said Laura. "She can actually start living her life. All she's done is reproduce, bless her little heart."
She added: "We're very proud that every cat leaves the Ark neutered so that they won't have that possibly of increasing numbers where they are not the best. There are lots of vet bills and everything is increasing in price. We never want to reduce meeting that duty of care."
Belle "loves absolutely everything" at Ark Animal Rescue but pays special care to the elderly cats, her mum said. "She tends to really love the older cats that come in when their owner has passed away or gone into a home.
"She likes to spend time with them. She often comes to work with me in the holidays and spends her time just giving them that extra bit of attention. She is like myself, born into it."
The Just Giving fundraiser has now closed but supporters can help with a one-off donation via the Ark Animal Rescue website or by sending them much-needed items on their Amazon wishlist.
