Fundraising drive for lost Mansfield cat's guardian angels

A Kirkby woman has raised almost £500 for a group of young homeless men who rescued her injured cat which had been missing for more than a fortnight.
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Distraught Kirsty Ann McQueen took to social media in a desperate bid to find her cat Ebony after she vanished from a friend’s house in Mansfield on June 5.

However, after 17 days of walking the streets, putting up posters and a relentless social media campaign, a young girl spotted a group of men caring for a cat at the YMCA homeless hostel on Commercial Gate.

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And after an ecstatic Kirsty, 29, was finally reunited with her beloved Ebony, she has since found out that the young men – who are not allowed pets – had built a shelter and been feeding her with what little they had.

Kirsty was beside herself with worry after Ebony went missing from a friend's house in MansfieldKirsty was beside herself with worry after Ebony went missing from a friend's house in Mansfield
Kirsty was beside herself with worry after Ebony went missing from a friend's house in Mansfield

She said: “She is only a year old and had never been outside, and had been staying at a friend’s while I was away from our home in Kirkby – so she would have never made it home. I was beside myself.

"It was a chance sighting on Snapchat where a girl recognised Ebony’s distinctive tail from my Facebook posts.

"I went to collect her and found her covered in cuts and bruises where she had been fighting with other animals, but the lads had done everything they could to look after her and it really touched me.”

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Kirsty had offered a holiday in her Tattershall Lakes property in Lincolnshire as a reward to anyone who found her, so decided to raffle the prize off to give the youth hostel a sizable donation to show her appreciation.

Ebony is recovering well at home after disappearing for 17 days.Ebony is recovering well at home after disappearing for 17 days.
Ebony is recovering well at home after disappearing for 17 days.

The raffle raised £490 as well as other donations of food and toiletries, which will be presented to the hostel in the coming days.

"I just wanted to show my appreciation for what they had done for Ebony,” said Kirsty.

"They gave her what little they had and even stayed outside with her overnight on her first night when she would have been so scared.

"I can’t thank them enough.”

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Ebony is now back at home in Kirkby and is recovering well from her ordeal.

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