A BARRY woman is helping improve the lives of abandoned and unwanted cats.

Daniela Rodrigues, 32, became a cat fosterer in November 2021 after she saw the number of cats needing a temporary home increase dramatically during the Covid pandemic.

She is now fostering her fifth cat and runs car boot sales on weekends to raise money for Cat Supporters South Wales – a rescue dedicated to fostering felines.

Ms Rodrigues said:

“The [Covid] pandemic has sadly meant that the number of cats needing the support of our foster network has increased vastly.

“I get a great deal of pleasure from providing a safe and warm home for my feline friends but the cost of providing food, litter and tending to illness or injury quickly mounts up.”

Ms Rodrigues’ employer, Wales & West Utilities, has given a £300 match-funding donation to help cover vet bills and cat food.

“This money from my employer will go a long way to ensuring we are able to help more cats across the area,” said Ms Rodrigues.

Cat Supporters South Wales is a cat rescue centre, based in Cardiff, which has a network of fosterers across South Wales.

They take stray cats into care and rehome them and are always looking for new fosterers and for help with fundraising and administration tasks.

Wales & West Utilities – which is the gas emergency and pipeline service for Wales and South West England – gave the funding as part of its company to supporting the communities it serves.

Wales & West Utilities people and engagement director, Sarah Hopkins, said:

“People like Daniela volunteer a great deal of their time to help improve the lives of others – be they people or animals.

“As a cat mum myself I’m so proud of the great job she is doing to foster cats and in helping raise vital funds which are needed more than ever after the pandemic.

“Our colleagues go the extra mile to volunteer their time to help charities, clubs and organisations in their local communities and we are delighted to support their efforts.”

Find out more about Cat Supporters South Wales at https://bit.ly/3oNW07H