A cat that’s a familiar face around Stockport has been left seriously injured after he was reportedly pinned down and kicked by a gang of ‘kids’.
Tosca, a black-and-white feline with special needs, is often found wandering the streets near his home in Offerton and has even been known to stroll in to the local children’s football club.
His owner has now launched a GoFundMe to pay for Tosca’s looming vet bills, after the little cat was left dangerously injured in the vile attack.
It’s not yet known what injuries he sustained, or the severity of them, but he has been sent home in a stable condition with strong painkillers until he can have more tests.
The fundraising appeal has already raised £2,438 at the time of writing from hundreds of people who were touched by the story.
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Tosca is well-known around the local area, as his owner says the cat has ‘no sense of direction’ and crops up all over town – the What’s On Offerton Facebook group is filled with photos of his adventures.
Tosca’s owner wrote: “I’m looking for any help to get Tosca his treatments he needs to help with his recovery, after a group of kids held him down by his collar and took turns kicking him.
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“He was taken to Woodcroft veterinary hospital by a member of the public who stopped the attack. We aren’t expecting much, but any amount is seriously appreciated as we’ve been quoted £700 for his initial assessment.
“We are trying to find ways to make this cheaper , and asking animal charities to help as it’s classed as an animal abuse case.
Tosca the cat is a familiar face around Stockport. Credit: Facebook
“The police are involved and we are waiting on the cctv of the attack. Thank you for everyone’s concern it means a lot to us.”
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He then updated on Facebook: “Wow we are overwhelmed with everybodies kindness! He really has made friends with so many people on his outings.
“The money will defo help with the costs of his treatment & I will update tomorrow when I know more of what’s happening. But at the moment he is at home and stable, he’s got strong painkillers.
“Thanks again everyone. If anyone has any cameras who lives on Turncroft Lane could they check Saturday for roughly around 6pm Thankyou.”
He had previously updated that Tosca was ‘f***ed and likely going to die’.
Several members of a local community group have been sending messages of support to Tosca and his owner, with one writing: “The whole of Offerton is rooting for the little fella.”
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A spokesperson for GMP said: “On Saturday 1 July, Greater Manchester Police were made aware of an alleged attack on a cat which is believed to have taken place on Turncroft Lane, Stockport.
“The cat was taken to the vets, but it has since been discharged.
“GMP is working with the RSPCA to understand the circumstances.”
Travel warning issued as tens of thousands to descend for Manchester Half Marathon
Daisy Jackson
A travel warning has been issued ahead of the Manchester Half Marathon this weekend, with tens of thousands of runners and spectators expected to arrive in the city.
People are being urged to plan their journeys ahead of time, with significant road closures in place from the city centre as far out as Sale.
Road closures – and subsequent bus diversions – will also affect parts of Stretford, Chorlton, Trafford, and surrounding areas.
Around 32,000 people are expected to take part in the Manchester Half Marathon this Sunday, with thousands more coming out to cheer the runners on.
Transport for Greater Manchester is advising people that the Bee Network trams will be the best way to get around over the weekend.
Extra trams will be operating to provide as much capacity as possible.
Road closures and bus diversions will start on Saturday 3 October and continue until the actual race day on Sunday 4 October, lifting fully by 8.30pm.
Tens of thousands of runners and spectators will descend on Manchester for the half marathon
Earlier this year, the Manchester Marathon led to a record-breaking day for Metrolink trams, with the highest number of passengers ever recorded on a single day in the network’s history.
Whether running or cheering, people are advised to use the Bee Network app to plan their journeys and are strongly encouraged not to drive within the affected areas.
Steve Gilholme, Head of Events at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “The Manchester Half Marathon is another one of those special occasions where the people of Greater Manchester and beyond come together, with thousands of people taking on the challenge and raising money for good causes, while many more will line the route to cheer them on.
“This does mean the city centre and especially trams will be incredibly busy so please plan ahead and give yourself extra time to make journeys.
“The Bee Network app and website will be the best places to get the latest travel information and tap and go contactless payments are the quickest and easiest way to pay.”
You can see all the road closures for the Manchester Half Marathon HERE.
Funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the 14 national museums of the UK are all located in England – including the Imperial War Museum North, and the Science and Industry Museum in our region – and free entry to was first introduced all the way back in 2001, with millions of visitors having benefitted since.
National museums are said to add more than £1 billion a year to the economy, and bring in visitors from all over the world.
In fact, seven of the UK’s 10 most visited museums are national museums, and 7.1 million people visited the Natural History Museum and 6.4 million visited the British Museum in 2025 alone.
The Government has announced that all national museums in the UK will remain free for everyone to visit / Credit: Science Museum Group | Wikimedia Commons
Earlier this year though, the Government committed to working with local leaders and the museum and tourism sectors to explore whether charging overseas visitors could help museums’ finances.
But following this, it’s now believed that charging could deter visitors, and that the impacts and benefits would ‘not be felt equally’ across the sector.
Instead, the free entry will be funded by the £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund – which is providing £760 million for museums – while £600 million of infrastructure funding is supporting national museums and DCMS-sponsored cultural organisations.
The latter funding will be used to address critical maintenance and works to estates, and enable institutions to deliver on their commitments to share collections with visitors from around the world.
Daisy Jackson -
3rd July 2023 
