Woman admits she sometimes goes without food to be able to feed her five cats

A pet owner says she is sometimes forced to skip meals in order to feed her five cats.

Miari Workman, from Cardiff - who has a nine-year-old daughter and an adult son - has criticised the government for the way they've dealt with the cost of living crisis.

The mum-of-two receives a personal independence payment (PIP) due to her depression and ADHD, and is on benefits.

She also uses food banks and has encouraged others who are struggling to do the same.

Kittens Lucy and Lace, are nearly a year old, and are siblings to Wolfie, two, and Lunar, one.

Meanwhile, rescue cat Bootsie had arrived before the crisis.

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Miari is struggling to afford insurance for her five cats, who are all neutered and microchipped.

But when it comes to feeding them, she says a £5 box of dried food will last the cats just one day and on 'skint weeks', friends have kindly offered to help out with other expenses.

"I sometimes go without food to be able to feed my cats," Miari said.

"I'm not ever going to get rid of my cats, they are my family.

"If I have to use food banks to support them that's what I will do. I'm not ashamed, these things are there to be used.

"People need to stop feeling shame and just go."

Despite her struggles, Miari, who is a Christian, still donates to the Blue Cross whenever she gets a chance.

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Miari said: "I believe you reap what you sow - I don't give to receive, I do it because I can.

"I think the government need to step back and figure out why these prices are so high. It's just happened so quick. I have skint weeks where I don't have a penny. Friends took my daughter in and she had a wonderful time.

"They put their hand in their pocket so she could go on the rides. If I've got money and somebody hasn't then I will help them out. I try not to worry about it so my daughter doesn't get stressed.

"Children can sense these things. I don't have pet insurance but if a cat needs to go to the vet I will take it anyway.

"It's a pet which means part of the family. Family means everything to me."

Regarding the cost of living crisis, Labour’s Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, recently called for a House of Commons debate on the amount of public money being spent on the coronation (May 6) given the difficult economic circumstances people are finding themselves in.

"A new poll shows that 51 percent of people think the coronation should not be publicly funded, just 32 percent think it should." he said.

“The King has a reported personal fortune of £1.8 billion, and given the monarch already benefits from not paying inheritance tax, it’s easy to see why so many people are not happy with this.”