SPECIAL owners are needed for two young females currently in the care of the Worcester and district branch of Cats Protection.

Coffee and Sweetie Pie are both tortoiseshell cats who have the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). They are both perfectly healthy but they will need indoor homes away from any danger of infection from other cats.

Lynn Glaze, branch co-ordinator, said: “Coffee and Sweetie Pie have similar backgrounds, having recently had kittens, they were brought in as strays and, strangely, they look alike as well.

"They are only about a year old and are very affectionate.”

The feline immunodeficiency virus, which is the feline equivalent of the HIV virus, is a significant cause of disease in cats worldwide.

Although HIV and FIV are very similar, the viruses are species specific, which means that FIV only infects cats and HIV only infects humans.

There is no risk of infection for people in contact with FIV-positive cats.

Anyone who could provide a loving home for Coffee or Sweetie Pie should call 01905 820348.