WITH economic austerity biting, times are increasingly hard but in the festive season, our feline friends of North Cornwall can really suffer.

Some cats are left to fend for themselves as owners struggle to keep them, particularly if the pet becomes unwell and vet bills need to be paid.

But at Castle Goff cat rescue, Camelford. they do not believe in having any cat put down — they would rather keep the cat as part of the family if it is not re-homed. This includes cats that have an end of life disease.

Sylvia and Tony Eurman moved to Camelford more than 16 years ago and with around 35 cats to begin with they already had quite a head start.

The couple decided to run the cat rescue as this has been Mrs Eurman's lifelong dream. Mr Eurman said: " It was always my wife's dream to look after cats. I moved down one day with the furniture and Sylvia came down the next day with 35 cats.

"We have always loved animals but cats in particular."

For the full report, and a round up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.