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Celebrity ‘paws’ created for charity auction
Cats Protection hosts online auction to raise much-needed funds

Seventeen celebrities and artists, including model Twiggy and ex-England goalkeeper David Seaman, have each drawn around their hand to create unique "paper paws" for Cats Protection’s Celebrity Paws online auction.

The auction, now in its seventh year, raises much-needed funds for the charity which helps over 218,000 cats and kittens each year.

It will start on eBay on Thursday, November 21 and finish on Sunday, December 1.

Cats Protection has revealed that 2,000 fewer cats were adopted during 2012 than the previous year.

The charity is expecting further bad news as requests to adopt cats via its national helpline have slumped by around 40 per cent so far this year compared to the same period in 2012.

As a result of this, Cats Protection has launched a desperate appeal for people to adopt cats or make a donation.

Celebrity couple David Seaman and Dancing on Ice skater Frankie Poultney, adopted two cats - Smokey and Willow - from Cats Protection’s Newbury Adoption Centre. Frankie said: “David and I are pleased to be supporting Cats Protection by drawing ‘paper paws’ for the cause. We hope they raise plenty of funds and help many unwanted cats find loving homes.”

Zahir White, spokesperson for Cats Protection said: “We are very thankful for the paws from all of the celebrities and artists. We hope to get as much money as we can for each one as it will help at a time when it is harder than ever to find homes for unwanted cats.”

“From Frankie’s henna-like design to Twiggy’s abstract illustration featuring a blue eye and red lipstick, each design shows a great deal of ingenuity and craft and hopefully they’ll prove popular with bidders.”

To bid in the auction and to find out who else has donated their paw print to Cats Protection, please visit www.cats.org.uk/celebrity-paws.

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.