An astonished animal lover who went to a cat charity to replace a pet that had died was told he couldn't have one - because of where he lived.

And the charity today admitted that it had a hit list of half a dozen estates in the Bradford district where it operated an across-the-board "no go" policy for cats.

Peter Shaw, of Hastings Street, Marshfield, contacted Cat Watch Rescue, in Allerton, looking to replace one of his two cats.

The cat charity informed him Marshfield was an area to which they were not prepared to re-home cats.

Mr Shaw, a 62-year-old Manpower and Protemp driver, has owned cats for the last 17 years.

He said: "I had two cats and one died, so I wanted another to keep the other one company.

"So I called up the local cat rescue and I started to enquire about adopting a cat and told her where I lived.

"I was told I don't qualify for one of their cats because pets were treated badly around here and children throw stones at the cats.

"I think the people of Marshfield would be quite interested to know how we are all tarred with the same brush.

"I'm sure they do get some trouble, but this is just not on. For the whole area just to be dismissed is crazy."

But Jenny Sampson, owner of Cat Watch Rescue, defended the decision. She said: "I treat them as if they are my own cats and some places are not proper areas for animals.

"In many cases there's nowhere for the cat to play out, as there are no gardens, and they are right next to main roads. And until people learn how to treat animals properly, I will keep making sure the cats go to safe areas.

"You find all sorts of cruelty is happening to cats, such as them being tied up by their legs and killed or savaged by dogs - you're always hearing and reading about it."

Mrs Sampson said one area had not been singled out exclusively, as Holme Wood, West Bowling, Canterbury, Ravens-cliffe and Braithwaites in Keighley were all off her list.

Mrs Sampson has run Cat Watch Rescue since 1991 and stood in the last local elections for the British National Party, contesting the Eccleshill ward.

She said: "A lot of the houses in these places are old back-to- backs on terraced streets and there is nowhere for the cats to go except up and down the streets.

"And that is why they are vulnerable and they get trapped and hurt.

"It is a shame for the people who do live there who are really good owners and really do love their animals that they have got funny neighbours who you would not trust animals with."

Councillor Dorothy Ann Wallace (Lib Dem, Eccleshill) said: "This is wrong. The majority of people in Ravenscliffe are decent people and they look after their property and they look after their pets. Why on earth should anyone be denied the company of a cat?

"It is totally the wrong approach - it seems every time we take three steps forward something like this happens and we take two back, it is just a real struggle. What's more, Mrs Sampson ran to be councillor for this area for the BNP."

Dorothy Wolf, general manager of the RSPCA's Bradford branch, said: "Cat Watch do a lot of very good work and if we are full here then we will direct people to Cat Watch - we respect what they do.

"We make placements based on each individual case and based on their circumstances.

"It is the organisation's choice how they go about their business."

Mrs Sampson was served with an enforcement notice in 2002 by Bradford Council, which ruled she had an excessive number of cats in her home and nuisance was being caused to neighbours.

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