Wrexham residents are being asked not to feed stray cats so an animal charity has a better chance of catching them.

At present, the Wrexham branch of Cats Protection is having to struggle to tempt the abandoned pets with treats in order to take them to their centre.

The charity believes well-meaning residents are feeling sorry for the pets and feeding them but it is now appealing for them to stop.

Lynn Gay, Wrexham Cats Protection adoption centre manager, told the Evening Leader: "In order to encourage cats into our traps we tempt them with food. The process of trapping is much quicker if the cats are really hungry."

Staff at the centre are keen to take in the pets in order to spay them and reduce the growing numbers of abandoned cats.

The Axehayes branch of the charity, in Devon, is particularly hit by the dramatic rise in dumped pets and is currently trying to rehome 210 moggies.