A cat "heartlessly" left behind by owners who moved away has a future ahead of him after being rescued by the District's kind-hearted volunteers.

It is thought Rodney was living as a stray for a number of years, with many believing him to be feral as he was stealing food from residents' cats.

But once Cats Protection North Hertfordshire was contacted, volunteers managed to entice him in and found that once no longer cold and hungry he became a "sweetheart" according to the charity.

Thought to around five-years-old, Rodney was initially rehomed quite quickly but found himself back in care after the owner struggled with the reality of having a cat around.

Once back with a fosterer, it was noticed that Rodney kept shaking his head, a new behaviour not seen in him before.

A vet check revealed painful polyps inside his ears, which would have been causing pain and irritation.

North Hertfordshire Team Leader Paula Wilson said: "Specialist surgery was the best option to get Rodney back to full health, and, in fact it required three operations to fix the issues with his ears. Ignoring the polyps could have left Rodney with hearing and balance problems which would affected his quality of life.

"Thankfully, after treatment and rehabilitation Rodney is now back to full strength and it is fantastic to see how he has become a chatty and affectionate cat who loves a lap."

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Rodney's operations cost £3,000, which made quite a dent in Cats Protection North Hertfordshire's finances.

So they can continue their day-to-day work caring for homeless cats and ensuring they are healthy and ready to be adopted, the team has set up a JustGiving appeal for Rodney www.justgiving.com/page/rodney-north-herts-cat

Paula added: "We rely on the generosity of our local supporters, without them we would not be able to help nearly as many cats as we do. We are so grateful to anyone who donates to help cats, we really couldn't do it without you!"

Now Rodney is feeling better he is ready to be adopted and is looking for a home where he can be the centre of attention. It is likely he will be fine with children and other cats but his food intake will need to managed as he has a tendency to overeat after years of struggling for every morsel.

For more information about the work of Cats Protection North Hertfordshire visit www.cats.org.uk/northherts