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Visitors read stories to Shropshire charity's retired cats

BBC Boy reading to a catBBC
Children and adults could bring their own books to read to the cats

A cat charity has opened its doors and invited visitors to read books to some of its elderly residents.

Shropshire Cat Rescue said it wanted to encourage a love of reading and to give its cats some extra human interaction.

Volunteer and trustee Susie Phillips said the cats "respond well" to being read to and it also gave nervous readers a "calm and peaceful" audience.

Saturday was the first time it had offered the opportunity to visitors who were not in school groups.

The charity plans to do it again in April and Ms Phillips said it wanted to do more to help children or adults who are struggling to read.

"We're helping people discover the passion of reading through the love of cats," she said.

Susie Phillips and a cat
Susie Phillips said the book reading event on Saturday will be followed by another in April

The visitors were reading to the cats in the charity's "retirement village" in Bayston Hill, Shropshire, where the oldest resident is 22 years old.

Other cats have suffered from illness or injury, but Ms Phillips said: "Even the nervous cats tend to come forward and want to interact.

"They enjoy that extra company."

Girl reading to cat
Visitors to Shropshire Cat Rescue were able to choose the cat they wanted to read to
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