Community rallies behind Welsh cat rescue centre facing closure

Nation.Cymru Staff

A community has rallied around a Welsh cat rescue facing closure over mounting veterinary bills, raising thousands of pounds to help it continue caring for some of the most vulnerable cats in its care.

Forgotten Felines Cat Rescue in Port Talbot has been caring for and rehoming cats since 2018, specialising in cats that are disabled, require palliative care, or have been abused.

Since opening, the rescue has helped 1,434 cats, with 253 adopted in 2026, providing rehabilitation, medical care, and a permanent home for cats not suitable for adoption.

However, the centre took to social media on 23 October to share that, due to an outstanding vets bill of £10,745.38, the future of the centre and the 150 cats in its care was uncertain.

In the post, “we might have to close”, Forgotten Felines wrote: “We work so hard to help as many cats as we can, but the costs are getting harder and harder to keep up with.

“We really don’t want to close, especially knowing how many cats still need our help, but we are at a point where we don’t have a choice…

“We’ve come so far since 2018 and it would be heartbreaking to have to stop now.”

They requested that anyone who could afford it provide a donation toward paying the vet bill, or share the post to ensure others could donate.

Cat owners and supporters immediately rallied around the centre, sending donations in the name of their pets including Clarence, Squash, Eddie, Dolly, Ernie, Luna and Ruby.

One adopter who had provided a donation wrote: “If not for you we wouldn’t have our beautiful little Suki. You do such amazing work.”

On 25 October, just two days after the initial post, Forgotten Felines posted an update that they had raised £7,819 and were “humbled, emotional and so incredibly grateful”.

“We hate having to ask our supporters for help, but as a rescue dealing with complex-needs cats, sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we simply cannot manage alone,” they wrote.

“Last year, our total vet bill exceeded £95,000. That is an enormous amount for a rescue to self-fund, and the reality is that the financial pressure is becoming harder and harder to bear.

“We do everything we possibly can to keep Forgotten Felines going. We organise raffles, fundraising events, apply for grants and explore every avenue we can to bring money in. But with rising vet bills, the cost-of-living crisis and so many smaller rescues competing for the same funding, keeping our heads above water is becoming increasingly difficult.

“The money raised will make a huge difference towards clearing our outstanding vet bill, and we cannot thank you enough…

“Your kindness has given us some much-needed breathing space, hope and the strength to keep going. We will never take your support for granted…

“The cats need us and we will not let them down!”

However, despite the donations, the centre remains closed to new intakes as they “still have a way to go”, and is focusing on caring for the cats already in its care.

“We simply cannot risk the future of those cats by taking on more than we can financially sustain,” they explained, adding that they would be undertaking several fundraising activities to rebuild their funds and become financially sustainable.

As well as raffles and their 2027 calendar, featuring their cats, the centre spotlighted others who have been raising money for their continuing work.

Forgotten Felines shared that a previous fosterer had been back in touch to share that they would be running the London Marathon in April 2027 in aid of the centre.

In addition, a local cinema, the Reel in Aberavon, hosted a live screening of The Celebrity Traitors finale, and selected Forgotten Felines as their charity for the evening.

“We are absolutely blown away by the support shown to us by our local community. It means so much to have people thinking of us and helping to raise awareness of our little rescue and the special cats who depend on us,” the centre added.

“Forgotten Felines is built on compassion, kindness and people who care about cats in need. Over the last few days, you have shown us just how much of that kindness is out there.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing beside us.”

Donations to Forgotten Felines are accepted through PayPal. For more information, visit their Facebook page and their site here.