Appeal to fund railway station cat's vet bill

A cat which is well known for greeting commuters at a town's railway station has been diagnosed with serious health problems - and his fans are hoping to raise enough money to cover his vet bills.

Tabby cat Coco is a frequent visitor to Keighley station as well as several shops and businesses nearby - including the town's college, the taxi rank, the local Asda and a furniture shop.

When Andrea Green noticed he stopped visiting the shop where she works, she contacted his owner and was told Coco had been diagnosed with pancreatitis and Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).

She has set up an online fundraiser and hopes to raise £3,000 to help fund his life-saving treatment.

Green said: "I run an Office Furniture Outlet and about three-and-a-half years ago, Coco started coming to visit us every single morning.

"We didn't feed him at first, then we started giving him treats.

"Then I saw a post on Facebook and it was Tamara who works at the train station, she was asking if anyone knew this cat because she thought he was a stray."

Green realised he was not a stray when she found his collar outside the shop and it had a QR code attached which she scanned to see his owner Nazia Nadir's details.

She contacted Nadir, and the two became friends.

Green explained to Nadir how she called the cat Dave, the station staff called him the Train Station Cat, and the taxi firm nicknamed him Ryder.

"He has all these names," she said.

"He is just a friendly cat and he loves being outdoors. He is just a really adventurous cat."

Nadir said her feline friend was "far more than just my cat", adding: "He is my best friend and my family.

"Seeing him become so ill has been heartbreaking. I never realised just how many lives he had touched until our community came together to help.

"No amount of words can express how grateful I am to everyone who has helped."

Green contacted Nadir when she realised Coco had not been seen for a while, and was told he had been to the vets several times and was unwell.

"He had pancreatitis. He has been back and forth to the vet the past few weeks. You can imagine the vet bills are increasing with all the blood tests and the X-rays," she said.

"He recently got diagnosed with FIP - it is like a coronavirus for cats - and it is £3,000 for treatment, which is a lot of money.

"We are already at £345 and we have also been given some cash donations. We are hoping we can raise £3,000 to help the family pay these bills.

"Everybody knows Coco. I am hoping we can do this for the family."

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