MORE than a dozen homeless cats have found new homes thanks to an appeal in the Gazette.

Earlier this month the newspaper published a plea from Stroud Cats Protection for a new home for inseparable siblings Jasper and Saskia.

Not only did the brother and sister find a new home but a further 12 cats were re-homed as a result of the appeal.

Fosterer for Stroud Cats Protection June Edgar, who was temporarily housing Jasper and Saskia, was hoping for a quiet weekend with her husband Tom.

"That Friday the Gazette published an article on the plight of the sibling cats who were destined to spend their first birthday in the care of Stroud Cats Protection," said Mrs Edgar. "My husband had had three phone calls before I got home from work and the phone did not stop ringing all weekend."

"Thanks to the Gazette we were able to re-home not only Saskia and Jasper but also about a dozen other cats."

Saskia and Jasper are now happily settling into their new home in Berkeley.

Re-homing Officer for Stroud Cats Protection Anna Walden said there is always another cat looking for a loving home.

"We are very grateful to the Gazette," she said. "But unfortunately as we re-home cats there are always others waiting to take their places in our pens."

One cat is, who is looking for a new home is ten-year-old Pippy who was left behind when her owners emigrated to Australia.

"They left the cat with another family but they found Pippy to be very aggressive and asked us to take her" explained Mrs Walden.

"It turned out Pippy's problems were more dental than mental as she had a mouthful of rotten teeth which were causing her extreme pain. The vet extracted all her teeth so now her meow is definitely worse than her bite."

Pippy does suffer from agoraphobia, which means she will have to be a house cat.

Pippy is just one of 20 cats currently in the care of Stroud Cats Protection, including several pairs looking for homes together.

Anyone interested in re-homing a cat is asked to contact Anna Walden on 01453 767137.

Pictured: Saskia and Jasper, who were in the care of Stroud Cats Protection, have found a new home in Berkeley thanks to an appeal in the Gazette