An animal rehoming centre has submitted plans to the council for a new "isolation facility".

Cats Protection's Bredhurst Adoption branch in Sittingbourne wants to construct a building dedicated to housing poorly moggies.

The single-storey unit is set to replace an existing building which was originally made for pets who have Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).

It is now used for cats with behavioural problems, those that have had major surgery, or as holding pens for feral cats waiting to be neutered.

The adoption centre opened in 1974 with a few huts and was eventually rebuilt in 2016.

Not only do they find new homes for unwanted felines, but also offer professional advice on behavioural issues to owners and donate food and litter to local food banks.

Bredhurst currently has 55 pens and would take in and rehome around 700 cats pre-pandemic.

The number dropped to 400 moggies during lockdown but is now slowly on the rise.

In the plans, the charity says the current building is "reaching the end of its useful life" and adds that it is "no longer fit for purpose and does not meet current animal welfare standards and guidelines".

Bredhurst is the only Cats Protection Adoption Centre in the county, but unlike others it doesn’t have a special isolation facility on-site.

As a result, animals requiring isolation have to be transported to the National Cat Adoption Centre (NCAC) at Haywards Heath in West Sussex – a journey of around 90 minutes.

The proposed building is set to be split into two sections and will have a ventilation system in place to prevent the risk of diseases spreading.

Last year, the branch had to close to the public for a number of weeks after a ringworm outbreak.

One part will have six pens for those with infectious diseases, and the other will contain four pens, plus a behavioural and feral cat run.

There will also be separate areas for food preparation and laundry.

The charity submitted the plans to Medway Council on Friday, February 10 and is yet to be approved.