A Leicestershire couple who rescue pets were horrified to discover they had been reported for ‘animal abuse’ by a neighbour.

The anonymous individual claimed Fay Massey and Brian Helliwell had left their ‘depressed’ cats outside on the ‘hard ground’.

The married couple, both 72, received a letter earlier this month claiming that the neighbour had been ‘monitoring’ their driveway, where the cats often lounge around in the sun.

They suggested that the pets should instead be enjoying the ‘comforts of a home’.

The writer even claim to have reported Fay and Brian to numerous animal rights charities, comparing the ‘abuse’ to leaving a child on the driveway all day.

But the baffled couple say their six ‘free-spirited’ cats are free to come and go from the house as they please via a cat flap – like most cats across the UK.

Fearing the anonymous writer might try to take their pets, Fay and Brian reported the letter to the police – suggesting the claim that the neighbour is ‘monitoring’ the couple ‘borders on ‘harassment or stalking’.

The retired pair are now appealing for the person to come forward and are offering to open their home to prove that the animals are well cared for.

Fay, from Wigston, said: ‘We couldn’t believe this letter.

‘I don’t understand why this person is saying they’ve seen cats on the front and they don’t look healthy and they look depressed.

‘How can they say that when they don’t even know the cats?’

She added that the animals can come and go as they please, and continued: ‘It just wound us up knowing the way we are with animals for a person to have moved here for a couple of months and say “I don’t think you’re looking after your animals” because they’re sitting on the front.

‘They can come in the house and stop overnight if they want to see how the cats live.’

Retired decorator Brian says the cats also have the option of a cool living room with fans on, and says the animals always ‘take over the house’ when the weather is bad.

The letter read: ‘Whether you are in your house all day or not, it is not fair to leave the cats outside all day.

‘I often drive by at different parts of the day and see them all sitting there instead of the comforts of a home as they should be.’

It continued: ‘You may love these cats but this is no way [of] life for them, especially one of them looking really young.

‘I can’t see any personality in these cats, they look depressed due to them being on hard ground all day. How would you like it?’

Comparing to the animals to young children, the letter writer laid out an ultimatum: ‘Have the cats indoors – please note I have been and will be monitoring the driveway and will continue to do so… (or) take them to a cattery or animal charity that will give these cats the life they should be living in a warm comfortable home.’

It warned: ‘I am not willing to stand for it, especially with you having at least three cats.’

Despite suggestions of there being just one, ‘rotten’ bowl of food for all of the cats, the couple say they put multiple bowls of fresh food and water down for their pets everyday, both inside and outside their home.

Brian added: ‘Everybody round here knows that Fay is Dr Dolittle – Fay looks after every animal on this earth, she’d have them all if she could.

‘The person that’s sent this doesn’t know anything about cats – you can’t lock any animal up, especially cats.

‘That’s abuse, locking a cat up in a house rather than letting it roam.’

Challenging the anonymous neighbour, he added: ‘It was quite a strong letter.

‘We’re really annoyed about it because it does seem like a personal attack.

‘If they’re not willing to stand for it, why don’t they come and identify themselves?’

The pair currently have five rescue dogs as well as their six cats and frequently work with animal rescue charities, fostering cats and dogs until they find their long-term home.

Leicestershire Police have been contacted for comment.

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