WHILE most people try to avoid food in January, one woman is appealing for help to feed 37 hungry mouths.

Maureen Savage runs Moggies Cat Rescue from her home in Stansfield Street, Darwen, and usually has a maximum of 12 cats to look after before they are re-housed.

But after Christmas, Moggies now has more than three times that number of homeless felines, -- so many that Maureen has been forced to move her kitchen furniture into her bedroom to make room for extra pens.

Now she is appealing for anyone with spare cat food or even unwanted Christmas gifts to come forward and donate them to help look after her brood .

She said: "During the build up to Christmas they were just being left here there and everywhere.

"I have had to move my tables and chair out of the kitchen and installed extra pens in there.

"For some reason it seems worse this year.

"I normally try if, possible, to keep it to about 12 adult cats, then I have different pens for kittens.

"A couple of months from now the kittens' pens will fill up.

"Normally I have space for 12 adult and that's a maximum.

"With the harsh weather we have had I just felt I needed to bring them in."

Maureen is especially looking for tins or sachets of cat food.

But she is also hoping to find cat lovers willing to adopt some of the homeless cats.

All the animals are ready for adoption.

She added: "All the cats that come into Moggies are blood tested to make sure they don't have feline AIDS or leukaemia.

"They're all neutered, all fully vaccinated and are ready for homing.

"I need tins and sachets of food.

"If anyone is thinking of having a clear-out after Christmas I can help. Unwanted Christmas gifts too, because I can take them to a car boot or a table top sale and sell them."

To help, call Moggies on 01254 708171.