3 July 2008

An independent animal rescue centre facing closure has warned that more diseased cats will be roaming the streets of Enfield without its services.

The Local Animal Hostel Trust, based in Palmers Green, is currently short of space after a previous tenancy agreement was withdrawn but the local council has rejected its application to rent two small properties.

Yvonne Treon, founder of the Animal Trust, told the Enfield Independent: "I'm so shocked by the authority's attitude. It must have no conception of the amount of work we do for the borough. We clear the streets of cats, and keep disease down.

"We provide a free service. The council would soon notice the difference if we had to close."

The centre, which mainly cares for abandoned cats, helps to ensures that animals are brought back to optimum condition before being rehomed.

Feral cats are often suffer from infectious diseases such as ringworm, flu, and a strain of the AIDS virus.