THE Winsford community is coming together to raise funds for a special woman who dedicates her time to helping stray, feral and abandoned cats.
Around her full-time job, Gina O’Neill runs a cat rescue - The Emergency Cat Hotel - and now has 23 cats in her care.
Her kindness has not gone unnoticed, and a fundraiser will be held at The Old Star Pub to help raise vital funds and keep the rescue open.
Gina said: “I've always loved our furry friends and wanted to try and make a difference and help them.
“From the feral and street cats, to the abandoned and owner-surrendered, I will always try to help.
“I currently have 23 cats with me here at home - some are my cats.
“My time is very limited with working 10 hours a day to fundraise, and the majority of the money goes towards our vet bills which can go into the hundreds for just one cat alone.”
Gina recently took care of a cat called Raggle who was a feral stray, but sadly, he was too unwell to be saved.
Gina said: “His vet bill was more than £3,000 as we tried all treatments to treat his neck infection.
“Unfortunately, nothing worked, and it is still very painful that we were not able to save him and make him better.
“A group of wonderful ladies have organised a fundraiser at The Old Star pub in Winsford to help my rescue stay open and raise funds.
“It consists of a quiz night with a wonderful prize for the winner, plus a raffle and tombola too.
“It starts at 7.30pm on Thursday, September 8, in honour of Raggle.”
Some of Gina’s happier stories include Summer, the 18-year-old cat.
She came to Gina 12 weeks ago after living as a stray on a caravan park for many years.
Although she was diagnosed with a tumour, Summer is loving life with her long-term foster family.
Gina’s latest guest, Ginger Gordon, arrived on September 3 from the same caravan park where Summer had been found.
Gina explained: “Gordon has his vet appointment next week and then hopefully we can find him his very own family with a sofa for him to curl up on.”
To donate to Gina’s efforts, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/gina-oneill?utm_term=3NDrv77Qq
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