I WAS very sorry to read Mrs Guthrie-Lacy feels so strongly about the legacy being left to the Cats Protection League (Citizen, November 25) - so I would like to try to take some of the bitterness out of the pill for her.

Cats, as indeed other pets, can be invaluable to the human race. We all know the medical benefits of stroking an animal as well as providing a purpose in life and companionship for those who live alone.

A pet makes a house a home and they teach children how to be caring, kind and responsible.

Cats are free spirits so cannot be confined to their own garden like a dog, but keeping them from your garden can be easily achieved by a squirt from a loaded water pistol or empty washing-up bottle filled with water.

Not all cats are hunters.

Hunting is genetically passed down from the mother cat, so if she is not a hunter then there is a good chance the kittens will not be.

Even the hunters retire in their early years as cats soon mature and become lazy.

The legacy, therefore, will indirectly help people as well as the cats.

Josephine Harwood,

Moor Park Avenue, Bispham.

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