Hillsborough cat: £10,000 target smashed to pay vet bills for Topsey who halted Sheffield Wednesday v Wigan match

Topsey the Cat charmed thousands of fans nationwide on February 8 when she burst onto the pitch in the 94th minute, and had to be carried off by Wigan Athletic’s Jason Kerr.

What spectators didn’t know was Topsey had been missing for seven months when she made her debut, and last week the nine-year-old tortoiseshell was finally reunited with loving owner Alison Jubb.

“It has been a real rollercoaster,” said Alison. “At first I resigned myself to thinking she would never come home which was upsetting. Then, my daughter-in-law rang that night and said ‘are you watching the TV? This cat looks just like Topsey’.

“The next day, I got the call saying she was at the vets. It was such a relief. I would love to know where she has been and how she survived.”

But Topsey has been on some misadventures in her time away. At a check-up at the vets, Alison was told the wayward moggy has a spinal fracture at the top of her vertebrae.

“The vets are optimistic but it’s still quite severe,” said Alison. “It seems however she got the injury, it only just happened before she ran onto the pitch.

“In a way, if it hadn’t happened she might never have come home.”

Alison launched a JustGiving page to help cover the costs of her moggy’s surgery to mend her fractured spine – and now kindhearted supporters have helped smash the £10,000 target.

Thanking those who had donated, Alison said: “We smashed it. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and helped Topsey get what she needs to get her back to full health.”

Speaking before the appeal raised the milestone amount, Alison said: “Of course, I never thought I would see her again, and I cancelled her pet insurance. It’s come as a bit of a shock.”

She added: “Thank you so much to everyone who has helped, it means so much. It just means she’s getting a chance where I couldn’t do that for her on my own.

“Thank you also to all the players who were gentle with her, and the vet who was in the crowd that night that looked after her.”

Topsey went missing in June last year while Alison, from Worrall, was taking her to an Oughtibridge cattery when she escaped from her cat box.

To read more about Topsey’s story or to donate, visit Alison’s JustGiving page.