Hillsborough cat: Supporters raise over £6,000 to pay vet bills for Topsey the Cat who ran onto Sheffield Wednesday's match last week

Topsey the Cat charmed thousands of fans nationwide on February 8 when she burst onto the stadium pitch in the 94th minute, and had to be carried off the pitch 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’. But I thought ‘no, that can’t be possible’.

“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.”

Now, Topsey will need approximately £10,000 worth of surgery to mend her fractured spine.

“Of course, I never thought I would see her again, and I cancelled her pet insurance,” said Alison. “It’s come as a bit of a shock.”

However, it looks like Topsey’s fans have got her covered.

Alison launched a JustGiving page to help cover the costs of her moggy’s surgery – which has now raised over £6,000 in less than 24 hours.

Well-wishes from donors include one fan calling Topsey “Sheffield Wednesday’s star player”.

Another wrote: “Hope you have a speedy recovery Topsey, glad you've been found and hope you enjoy the rest of your life at home being pampered with lots of treats."

Alison said: “I don’t know what to say. 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.

Hillsborough stadium is approximately four miles from where Topsey went missing.

Alison said: “When she came home she was very calm. I had to keep her in a cage because of her injury but she was very relaxed. I think she knew where she was.”

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