A dad is going the extra mile for animals in need in this year's London Marathon in memory of his beloved pet cat.
Ian Holker's cat Keith died in September last year, aged 11, following months of costly vet treatment for breathing problems. Now the 54-year-old hopes to raise up to £2,000 for the PDSA, a veterinary charity which helps cash-strapped pet owners by providing consultations free of charge.
Ian, a dad-of-one, said: “We lost our much-loved family cat, Keith, last year. He had health issues with his upper respiratory tract and we went through about six months of treatment with him at the vets, which cost us thousands of pounds.
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“We sadly lost Keith in September when he was 11-years-old. Losing him made me want to do something to honour his memory and also raise funds for pets and their owners who aren’t able to afford the vet bills. I started thinking of things I could do to raise funds and settled on the marathon.
“I’m definitely not a runner, but I’m enjoying the training and I’m on track for April."
The design engineer will take on the 26-mile challenge with his son, Phil, 28, who is raising money for Steps, a charity supporting people affected by childhood lower limb conditions.
The family has now adopted another cat, a rescue kitten called Molly.
Ian, from Warrington, said: "We miss Keith so much but we’ve got our little Molly now and she’s reminded us how much joy pets bring to a family, which makes raising money for PDSA even more important to me.”
Lucy Povall, fundraising manager at PDSA, said: “We’re all so thankful to Ian for choosing to run for PDSA this year. His generous fundraising efforts will enable us to continue our life-saving work, treating pets whose owners have nowhere else to turn. It is thanks to the incredible support of kind-hearted people like Ian that we are able to provide vital treatment for poorly animals and make a real difference to their owners.”
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