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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent

‘I just wish they’d let me feed my cats’: how council ban made one woman an animal welfare icon

Collette Boler holding cat treats near her workplace in Thurnscoe, South Yorkshire
Collette Boler on the industrial estate near Milly’s Cafe in Thurnscoe, South Yorkshire, where she has fed the feral cats for 20 years. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

“Two ladies from York have just been in,” said Collette Boler at the till of her small cafe in Thurnscoe, near Barnsley. Her voice began to choke up.

“They came in with a box of chocolates and a card, a box of cat food, a bag of cat biscuits and just said ‘carry on doing what you’re doing, you’re absolutely fabulous’. And a man’s just given me a tenner for cat food. It’s been incredible.”

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