I FOUND John Blunt's comments (LET, November 12) on the purchase of a £20,000 diamond-studded collar for our cat to be insulting and unwarranted.

As he quite rightly said, it's our money and we can do what we like with it.

However, I would like to put the record straight for once and for all.

I have devoted the past 50 years of my life to caring for and rescuing unwanted, maimed, sick and neglected animals, thus giving them the contented life they deserve, while, I may add, at the same time managing to raise far in excess of £20,000 for various animal charities in this country and abroad. At the other end of the spectrum, he may also be interested to know that I neither drink, smoke or frequent fancy restaurants.

I have more than happily forfeited all holidays for the past 30 years, including my honeymoon because, as anyone involved with animals, as I am, knows, one cannot simply pack ones bags and disappear leaving behind bewildered animals which need constant attention.

Just because he has a column to fill, I fail to see why John Blunt feels he has the right to dictate how I should spend my hard-earned money.

Perhaps he is prepared to divulge the mount of money he spends on holidays and personal possessions - or perhaps he prefers to limit his blunt exposs to those who cannot defend themselves.

JIL ATKINSON.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.