Cat lovers from around the country descended on Mitcham as the UK’s leading cat welfare charity opened its doors to its first ‘pop-up’ homing centre on Saturday.

Wimbledon Times:

Cats Protection officially opened its groundbreaking project at Unit 3-4 on Boundary Business Court, Mitcham, to an enraptured crowd of volunteers from across the UK, charity chiefs and the mayor of Merton, Councillor David Chung.

With London being home to an estimated 1.5 million cats, the project aims to find homes for up to 50 felines each month, with the Mitcham centre being the charity’s first step in targeting urban areas of high need.

The centre, constructed in an empty warehouse over the course of 10 weeks, is the first to be built in a ‘pop-up’ model, meaning that the internal structure of the building can be easily transported to other areas of need if demand in Mitcham decreases in the future.

Speaking at the event, Coun Chung said: "I wouldn’t have missed today for the world. It’s a very important project and we, in Mitcham, are big on animal welfare.

"We fully support Cats Protection coming to the Mitcham area and we hope it leads to bigger and better things. "

For more information about the centre or to enquire about fostering, volunteering or adopting a cat, call 03000 120 285 or visit mitcham.cats.org.uk.