VETS in Chipping Norton have borrowed £620,000 to create a custom-built animal hospital.

Chipping Norton Veterinary Hospital, whose clients include the Cotswold Wildlife Park and Crocodiles of the World, left its old site in Albion Street for a new base in the town’s Banbury Road.

The new hospital will include a cattery, housing stray cats for local charity Sunshine Cat Rescue.

CCTV footage of the felines will be screened in the waiting room, in the hope it will inspire clients to adopt them.

The new veterinary centre also includes four consulting rooms, more treatment rooms, larger waiting areas to keep dogs and cats separate plus a dog grooming centre.

Director Martin Whitehead said less work from farmers had left the practice needing a bigger hospital.

He said: “Years ago the practice focused on farm work, so it had small premises because most of the work involved going out to farms.

“These days, there is much less farm work and we mostly see domestic animals such as cats and dogs and exotic pets, so the building was just too small.”

The practice, owned by Dr Whitehead and fellow director Peter Kettlewell, has branches in Burford and Bloxham and employs seven vets.

The directors applied for the £620,000 Government Funding for Lending scheme loan through NatWest Bank’s relationship director Steve Moore and director of corporate and commercial banking Jim Heppell.

The new building also has solar cells on the roof to cut energy bills.