Film and TV stars draw Celebrity Paws for the cause
26 November 2013
What do film star Christopher Walken, iconic model Twiggy, Dancing on Ice star Frankie Poultney and ex-England goalkeeper David Seaman all have in common?
The answer is they are among seventeen celebrities and artists who have drawn around their hand to create unique ‘paper paws’ for Cats Protection’s Celebrity Paws online auction.
Now in its seventh year, the auction raises much-needed funds for the charity which helps over 218,000 cats and kittens each year. It starts on eBay on Thursday 21 November and finishes on Sunday 1 December.
The auction aims to raise much-needed funds at a time when Cats Protection’s adoptions have slumped to a new low, with 2,000 less cats being adopted during 2012 than the previous year.
This, combined with figures from previous years, shows a worrying decline that has been caused by the economic downturn. The charity is bracing itself for further bad news as requests to adopt a cat via its national helpline have slumped by around 40 per cent so far this year compared to the same period in 2012, prompting the organisation to issue a desperate appeal for people to adopt cats or make a donation.
Celebrity couple Frankie and David adopted two cats, Smokey and Willow, from Cats Protection’s Newbury Adoption Centre. Frankie said: “David and I are pleased to be supporting Cats Protection by drawing ‘paper paws’ for the cause. We hope they raise plenty of funds and help many unwanted cats find loving homes.”
Zahir White, spokesperson for Cats Protection said: “We are very thankful for the paws from all of the celebrities and artists. We hope to get as much money as we can for each one as it will help at a time when it is harder than ever to find homes for unwanted cats.
“From Frankie’s henna-like design to Twiggy’s abstract illustration featuring a blue eye and red lipstick, each design shows a great deal of ingenuity and craft and hopefully they’ll prove popular with bidders.”
For the chance to get your own ‘paws’ on these works of art, and to find out who else has donated their paw print to Cats Protection, please visit www.cats.org.uk/celebrity-paws
To make a donation to help Cats Protection continue its vital cat welfare work please call the charity’s national Helpline on 03000 12 12 12 or visit www.cats.org.uk
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For further information or photographs please contact Cats Protection’s Media Office on 01825 741 911 or email media.office@cats.org.uk
Notes to editors:
1. Other stars taking part in Celebrity Paws are Level 42 lead singer and bassist Mark King, actresses Melanie Hill and Angela Lonsdale, Gardeners World host Alys Fowler, London 2012 shooting gold medallist Peter Wilson, author of A Street Cat Named Bob James Bowen, star of The Apprentice Jaz-Ampaw Farr, dressmaker Thelma Madine, author Jennifer Gray, and artists Melissa Hemmings, Clive Meredith, Eve Poland and Chris Wright
2. Cats Protection is the UK’s leading feline welfare charity and helps over 218,000 unwanted cats each year through a national network of 257 volunteer-run branches and 30 adoption centres.
3. Cats Protection’s registered charity number is 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland). The charity’s vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs.
4. Founded as the Cats Protection League in 1927, the charity adopted the name Cats Protection in 1998. We ask that you use the name Cats Protection when referring to the charity in all published material.