A MARSH family is searching for the owners of a cat which they rescued outside their home.
The frightened and cold tom was discovered in bushes on Carr Street by Ian Kirk and his wife Yvonne on Tuesday.
The couple were leaving their home to go for a walk when they spotted the cat close by.
When they returned an hour later, he was still shivering in the bushes.
Mr and Mrs Kirk took him in and have temporarily named him Felix.
They say he is friendly and placid.
Mr Kirk said: "She's taken him under her wing.
"He was miaowing in the bushes and was very distressed and cold. He was not injured but he didn't seem used to being outdoors."
The Kirks took Felix to the vets for preliminary checks and discovered he is six to eight years old.
He had some singed fur and his right eyebrow had been removed.
Otherwise he was in good health and the Kirks believe he had caring owners, as fur around his neck showed signs that he had been wearing a collar.
Mr Kirk said: "The vet said he could have been picked up in another part of town and dumped here, or he could have got out of the house and ended up on a van or something and just climbed off here.
"He'd been seen on our street for about two days but he's definitely not from this area. We've asked around and nobody knows anything about him."
The Kirks are informing the RSPCA about Felix's rescue and once they have been given a log number, a vet will be able to give the feline a full health check.
Mr Kirk said: "It's important to get him checked thoroughly for things like leukaemia.
"It's possible that someone dumped him because he had a disease and they didn't want to take him to the vets."
The Kirks are keen to trace Felix's owners - but if no-one comes forward they have not ruled out keeping him.
He added that they hoped to identify Felix's true owner by information they could provide about an old injury to his tail.
Contact Mrs Kirk on 07867 785208.
