Scrapyard cat saved after site closed for housing

A feral cat that lived in a scrapyard in Nottinghamshire for more than a decade has been rescued after the business closed.

The animal, now called Dibbles, roamed a car-breaking business in Colwick for 11 years, and while it did not allow any humans near, it was fed by the owner and some nearby residents.

With the site to be cleared for housing, volunteers from the Nottingham rescue group Cat Patrol spent hours trying to trap the streetwise feline before it was finally taken into care to be assessed for rehoming.

Cat Patrol co-founder Zoey Sheffield said Dibbles is "doing really well and she is coming round nicely".

Sheffield said a concerned resident made them aware of the cat.

"We were told, 'It's been fed but the owner is having to leave the scrapyard because the land has been sold for housing and he is worried about the cat - can you help?' and of course we said yes," she said.

However, cats that have lived on their own present special challenges.

Volunteer Jeff Hough was tasked with getting the animal out of harm's way but also giving it a name.

"Everyone was calling the cat a 'him' so I began to think about Top Cat, the cartoon cat who lived in a junkyard and lived in bins," he said.

"But I didn't like the idea of calling him Top Cat so I went for Dibble, as in Officer Dibble, the policeman from the cartoon.

"When I got there and found out it was a female, I just added an 's' on the end."

Humane traps, which use a food bait linked to a pressure plate, were set in the yard but Dibbles was reluctant to lose her liberty.

After five attempts, Dibbles finally found herself on the wrong side of the cage door - but this was only the first of her challenges.

Sheffield said: "You can normally tell within 24 hours if they are going to be amenable to coming round."

But so far, the signs for the scrapyard cat are good.

"Dibbles is doing really well and she is coming round nicely, so we will give her another week or so and get her round the vets," she added.

"I suspect she is spayed because there were so sign of kittens, so from what I can gather she's a cat where maybe somebody moved out or died and she has lived on her wits for 11 years."

Listen to BBC Radio Nottingham on Sounds and follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.