Sky Sports' Jeff Stelling on sharing his home with NINE pet cats - including one named after Pools manager Dave Challinor
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The Sky Sports host and president of Hartlepool United surprised his followers on Twitter by showing off photos all of his feline friends in a series of posts this week.
Jeff and his wife Liz have welcomed a variety of stray, homeless and other cats into their home in Hampshire over a number of years.
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Hide AdThey topped nine cats last summer when their 17-year-old daughter Olivia went to collect a kitten from a nearby farm, but brought home three instead.


Jeff said: “It makes for a busy house! My wife, in particular, is a big animal lover. We’ve always had cats but never this many.
"One was a feral cat, another was a rescue cat that was dumped when the owners moved house. For our ginger tom, Gilbert, the vet rang up and said ‘we’ve got one without a home, any chance?’”
Their black and white long-haired cat Dave Challinor – named after Hartlepool United’s current manager – just turned up on the doorstep and after a few months decided to move in.
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Hide AdJeff said the family are lucky in that they have a large home and garden for them to roam about in.


He added: “There’s a sort of pecking order among them. It sounds like it should be mayhem but it isn’t.”
What's more, the family also have three dogs in the shape of a cocker spaniel, jackapoo and sprocker.
Jeff began sharing pictures of his cats daily on Twitter after Sky colleague Jacquie Beltrao showed a picture of her cat and suggested taking it into work.
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Hide AdHundreds of fans responded by sharing pictures of their own cats and dogs.


He added: “It’s just a bit of fun. People seem to like seeing pictures of kittens and cats.
"Also it’s lockdown and there’s nothing else to do. I got a ridiculously good response after the first one and thought I might as well show them my others.”
Jeff stressed the family will not be taking in any more cats, although a stray has been turning up for the last few months.
"No more!” he said.

