Plans to create a shelter for 100 cats look set to be approved next week – even if it is by a whisker.

The applicant Miss Clifford, who runs an animal charity elsewhere in the UK, wants to convert a byre at Kershope Lodge near Kershopefoot into an indoor living area for her rescued cats.

The shelter would also include storage, food and washing areas, together with an enclosed outdoor area with a timber frame and wire mesh.

But Carlisle City Council has received five objection letters expressing concerns ranging from an increase in cat urine and faeces to the spread of disease and the welfare of the animals themselves.

Residents have also expressed concerns that cat “escape artists” could run amok, with feral felines attacking local wildlife.

The city council’s planning officers has recommended that the proposals are approved by members of the development control panel when they meet on next week [Thursday January 11].

Planning chiefs insist the plans for the lodge five miles north of the hamlet of Catlowdy would “not adversely affect the living conditions” of neighbours.

A report summarising the fears of those living nearby said: “The area is a wildlife haven with woodland birds, ground nesting birds including Woodcock and Snipe and red squirrels.

“As cats are apex predators an escape, or deliberate release of cats by animal activists would be a significant ecological threat to the area.”

Objectors have also claimed that Kershope Lodge was an “inappropriate site” for a cat facility of this scale and that allowing up to 100 would be “highly irresponsible”.

Residents also described the “intense pressures” of caring for so many animals as “far more than one person can cope with”.

They also called for the number of cats to be scaled back to “manageable proportions”, suggesting that 30 might be a “more reasonable number”.

Some of the objectors also felt that the plans were unethical because they involved “keeping cats imprisoned for their entire lives”.

Other concerns include cat litter storage and collection issues, as well as the possibility of pollution and smell.

But planning bosses stressed that the cats would be accommodated in a “secure environment” to which only the applicant would have access.

They added: “The objectors have raised concerns about the level of use stating that up to 100 cats is unacceptable and would impact on the applicant’s ability to care for them satisfactorily.

“As stated, the number of cats is the maximum number and it is not the applicant’s intention to rescue any more.

“A condition is imposed restricting the number of cats accommodated within the premises.

“Whilst the comments related to the potential impact on the welfare of the applicant are noted, it is also recognised that the applicant has experience of caring for cats having run the charity for a significant number of years and in any event, this is not a material planning consideration.”