Brazen cats shack up in old house

The former B&B on Bright Street, which has stood empty for several years, has now been occupied by several stray felines, according to a local cat rescue.

Cath Middleton, of Nine Lives cat rescue, first gained access to the property in September after it was reported cats had been seen looking out of the windows.

Volunteers returned on several occasions to retrieve more strays from the area.

Cath said: “This has been going on for about12 months. This could happen to any derelict house in any area. If a stray cat needs somewhere to go where it’s nice and safe, it’s the first place they’re going to check.

“So far we’ve had four males, two females, and eight kittens.”

She added that she is currently trying to capture yet another unneutered male cat that has made the building its home.

She said: “They can be quite nervous when they’ve been on the streets for months. It can be quite difficult to get them used to human contact.

“Thankfully the problem seems to be dying down now.”

An RSPCA spokesman said: “It only takes a couple of unneutered males and females to have a few litters and then you have got a problem.

“There’s plenty of derelict houses in Blackpool that are insecure, with windows and lofts, and we do have these cat populations living there.

“There are plenty of local cat charities as well as the RSPCA doing what they can to alleviate the problem.”