You are the cat's whiskers!

Six-year-old stray Tara had the tip of her nose removed after vets discovered she had cancer. Volunteers from the Lancashire Cat Rescue had taken her to the vets after finding her roaming the streets of Ingol.

The life-saving operation left white-haired Tara with an unsightly scar, and made it difficult for her to breathe.

The solution was to give Tara the feline version of plastic surgery, which costs £200.

After reading about Tara's plight in the Citizen, animal lovers across the area have dug deep and found the cash to pay for the operation - including the £200 single donation.

The charity's organiser Christine Lomax said: "I have absolutely no idea who this money came from. All it said was 'use this money to help Tara'.

"I was gobsmacked when I opened the card. People have been so generous and this was more than we could have asked for."

She has just one clue to where the mystery benefactor may come from, because the card had a picture of St Ignatius' Church, in Preston, on the front.

Since Christine's appeal in the Citizen on Christmas Eve the 'phone has been ringing continuously.

She said: "Tara's story seems to have really touched people, especially because she was turned away by the RSPCA.

"Even over Christmas, when you would expect people to be too busy with arranging things, people were ringing up asking to donate money.

"Some people gave us a couple of pounds because it was all they could afford. Over Christmas we have been given £490, which is amazing."

Tara's operation is due to take place in the next couple of weeks. Any remaining cash will be used to help pay some of the charity's veterinary bills, which have shot up during Christmas when strays were being treated for cat flu.

The group also hope to build another building, so even more strays can be looked after in the new year.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.