A Norwich cat rescue charity, which helps to rehome stray and abandoned cats, has seen a sharp rise in the number of unwanted animals.

Claire Williamson, 36, who runs Stray Cat Rescue Rehoming Norwich, is inundated with cats needing a new home.

Mrs Williamson, who lives in Thorpe Marriott with her daughters Alicia, 14, and Evie, four, relies on support from foster carers and donations to keep the charity going.

She said: 'We get to know the cat and carry out a home check. It's a lot of hard work and it's heart-breaking as well.'

Mrs Williamson, who plans to start an animal welfare trust next year, started the charity in Spring 2010 and has recently rehomed her 100th cat.

She said: 'Strays get a really rough time. It's not too bad for them in the summertime because they can cope and they will deal with it, but now winter is coming, the calls are coming in thick and fast.

'We had a cat brought to us the other day which was a screaming bag of bones and her face was covered in ticks.'

She said the charity had seen a sharp rise in the number of abandoned cats recently.

Mrs Williamson added: 'People are just breeding cats to make money and they shouldn't. So many kittens were born during the summer that people were giving them away for free and in the end they just dumped them.'

To donate cat food and litter, please email Mrs Williamson cats_in_care@yahoo.co.uk

For more information about the charity please visit facebook.com/stray-cat-rescue

Do you have an animal rescue story for the Evening News? Contact reporter Lucy Wright on 01603 772495 or email lucy.wright@archant.co.uk