A WOMAN who has saved the lives of thousands of cats is retiring after 40 years.

Pat Shardlow from Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, has cared for more than 2,000 homeless cats since taking in her first stray and its kitten.

She started looking after stray and abandoned cats when she was in Birmingham.

Soon her house became a centre for homeless felines, who took up temporary residence in some of the family's eight bedrooms.

When Mrs Shardlow's husband John retired, they moved back to North Yorkshire where Mrs Shardlow set up her rescue centre in the back garden of their home in Grewelthorpe.

Now 75, she is retiring after a slow recovery from a broken arm and is already making arrangements to hand over strays to centres in the Ripon or Leyburn area. "I have no regrets about looking after so many cats because it has been so rewarding," she said.

"I have looked after deaf cats, cats with cancer and even one with collapsed ears. Of course I shall miss my cats, but I'm going to keep four as pets."