Seventeen-year-old Rachel Gilbert is one of eight animal care students who have come with help for unfortunate felines who have to have their damaged gnashers removed.

Rachel is competing on Monday at her own Castle College in the national final of a contest for top young entrepreneurs, titled the Ideas Igloo Roadshow.

Rachel and her team have set up their own business Animal Solutions, and are hoping to make a mint out of their very particular product.

One of 17 finalists from colleges and universities across the country, Rachel will have two minutes to sell her ideas to a tough team of judges.

Rachel, studying for a diploma in animal management, said the product could help out dogs as well as cats.

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"When animals suffer broken or rotten teeth, they have had to be removed," she said.

"The gum can become infected and they find it difficult to chew food. We aim to reduce animals' suffering and improve their quality of life.

"We've carried out some research on whether the false teeth would be viable, and spoken to vets and business people who love the idea."

The team approached Castle College's dental technology department who made a mould for a cat with a broken canine - and then a prototype false tooth was created.

Animal care lecturer Sid Jenkins said taking part in the roadshow - which uses a model igloo to challenge students to sell their ideas like 'ice to Eskimos' - was excellent experience for Rachel.

"It brings a stroke of reality to what students are learning rather than just relying on theory," he said.

"We are now looking at how Animal Solutions could be developed further, for example whether it could be extended to different animals such as sheep."

Up for grabs on Monday is a prize of £2,000, while sponsor Microsoft is adding a package of products to help the winners launch their business.

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