A cat shelter has warned it is on the brink of closure after more than 30 years.

City Cat Shelter could be the latest victim of the cost-of-living crisis as mounting vets' bill and other soaring bills mean it is losing around £1,000 a month.

The couple who run it say it costs over £100,000 annually to keep going and that they save hundreds of cats and kittens each year.

Michael Tully, who runs the shelter from his back garden in Ingham Drive, Coldean, Brighton, said: “We never have enough money, we don’t know how much we are going to need to spend each month.

“We were keeping our heads above water but vets' bills have increased horrendously and cat litter is very expensive.

The Argus: City Cat Shelter in Coldean is at risk of closing

“When the cats leave here they have been put right. It’s a necessity, there’s no one else.”

Retired salesman Michael, 78, and his wife Jane, 70, who used to work at a dry cleaners, have been running the shelter for 32 years. They estimate they have saved some 7,500 cats in that time.

The couple first set up in their previous home in Ditchling Road before moving to Ingham Drive.

Now vets' bills alone are topping £80,000 a year. The shelter also estimates it spends over £1,000 a month on food, cat litter and electricity.

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Michael said last year a vicious flu hit the shelter which meant many cats had to go to an animal hospital which meant further unexpected costs.

The shelter is fully funded by donations and has about 30 volunteers helping to run it on a daily basis.

Some volunteers have been at the site for more than a decade.

Michael says he fears that if the shelter is forced to close it would put further pressure on other cat and animal welfare services in the area.

Now the couple are attempting to raise funds online and are looking for donations to help support the sanctuary. Anyone who wants to support the shelter can donate via its website.