Right now our centres and branches across the UK are closed to the public and we are only taking in those cats in most serious need. But, behind the scenes, our teams of dedicated employees and volunteers are working incredibly hard to keep every cat in our care fed, warm, happy and stimulated.

Many of these cats would have been in loving new homes by now but, as you can imagine, we've had to pause our rehoming and fostering services. While we're working flat-out to design, develop and roll out safe new ways to rehome and foster cats, right now these cats are having to stay with us for longer. We love looking after them of course, and we're doing our very best to do so despite staffing challenges and new safety measures. But the costs of caring for them don't stop we still need to buy food, litter, toys and all the other essentials that we need to care for cats who are with us for the foreseeable future. If you can donate £18 today, it could cover the cost of feeding, treating, looking after and loving one of the cats in our care for another day.

All of this hard work is going on to keep caring for cats, but sadly donations aren't keeping pace. Our charity shops right across the country are closed. Sponsored runs, bike rides, bake sales and other fundraising events have been cancelled or postponed. And we are unlikely to be eligible for the very limited funding that the government has made available for charities.

For the cats' and kittens' sake, we must keep going despite this sudden and completely unexpected drop in donations and that's where you, your kindness, generosity and love for cats comes in.

Because if you can support our special appeal today, we know that's at least one more cat we can keep caring for. Today you really can make a huge difference to cats who need us in the most difficult of times.

As a nation, we've rarely appreciated our cats more. They're here for us when we're feeling worried or lonely, here to distract us and help the days pass, here for those of us who are sadly grieving or bereaved. Our cats are here for us all please help us be here for cats, by supporting our Special Coronavirus Appeal if you can.

Thank you in advance for your incredibly kind donation.

Any funds raised above and beyond our target will be used to care for cats and kittens in Cats Protection's care