Can you help Thomas the cat in Salisbury?

He has been keeping officers based at Salisbury District Hospital company, who are keen to reunite him with his owner or find him a new home if nobody comes forward.

Police say the "rather bedraggled" ginger cat with no teeth appeared from the bushes next to the facility and was "extremely thin and appeared in poor health".

Inspector Lian Dunwell, along with her colleagues from Wiltshire Council, SDH and the security staff, have taken the cat under their wing, and named him Thomas.

He now receives regular grooming sessions, lots of cuddles, food and a warm place to sleep each night in the security office).

However, Insp Dunwell says Thomas will need a new home come September. Efforts to find his original owner have been unsuccessful.

As she explains: “We won’t be here forever, and so we need to find Thomas a home.

“Unfortunately, I can’t have him as I’ve got two kittens myself, but he is such a lovely cat. We’ve taken him to the vets and he isn’t neutered or chipped, and we’ve tried so hard to locate his previous owners – we don’t know if he may have been trapped in a vehicle that travelled from far and wide to get to the hospital or not.

“Ideally, we would like to find his original owner, but if nobody comes forward then we’d love to be able to rehome Thomas. We think he’s about eight to 10 years old, and we think he’d suit a lovely older couple who like a quiet life but will give him all the attention and cuddles he needs. He’s been spoilt with us – we bring in towels to dry him when he gets wet, and he’s got his own bed. We’ll definitely miss him when we move on – it’s been a difficult few months for everybody for various reasons, but Thomas has really helped cheer us up.”

Anyone with information about where Thomas may have come from contact Insp Dunwell by emailing Lian.Dunwell@Wiltshire.pnn.police.uk